Blinds - Starting the game
In Texas Hold’em a marker called ‘the button’ or ‘dealer button’ indicates which player is the nominal dealer for the current game. The two players clockwise to the left of the ‘dealer button’ are required to post a predetermined forced bet known as the ‘small blind’ and ‘big blind’.
Players are then dealt their two ‘hole cards’.
Betting begins
The available actions are ‘fold’, ‘check’, ‘bet’, ‘call’ or ‘raise’. Exactly which options are available depends on the action taken by the previous players. Each poker player always has the option to fold and discard his or her cards and give up any interest in the pot. If nobody has yet made a bet, then a player may either check (decline to bet, but keep their cards), or bet. If a player has bet, then subsequent players can ‘fold’, ‘call’ or ‘raise’. To ‘call’ is to match the amount the previous player has bet. To ‘raise’ is to not only match the previous bet, but to also increase it.
Pre-Flop
A round of betting takes place and begins with the player directly after the ‘big blind’ and is considered a ‘live’ bet on this round. That player has the options to ‘fold’, ‘call’ or ‘raise’. For example, if the ‘big blind’ is $2, it would cost $2 to ‘call’, or at least $4 to ‘raise’. Action then proceeds clockwise around the table.
Betting continues on each betting round until all active players (who have not folded) have placed equal bets in the pot.
The Flop
Once equal bets have been placed in the pot, the dealer discards the top card from the deck, known as the ‘burning the card’ and places three-community cards face-up on the board that are available to all players. This is known as ‘the flop’.
Betting on the flop begins with the active player immediately clockwise from the button. The betting options are similar to pre-flop, however if nobody has previously bet, players may opt to ‘check’, passing the action to the next clockwise player.
The Turn
Once the ‘flop’ round of betting has been completed the ‘turn’ round takes place. Once again the dealer ‘burns a card’ and adds one more card face-up to the board – this is the ‘turn’ card or fourth street’. The ‘’turn’ is the fourth community card.
Another round of betting ensues, beginning with the active player immediately clockwise from the button.
The River
When the betting round for the ‘turn’ is completed the ‘river’ round or ‘Fifth Street’ takes place. The ‘river’ is the fifth and final community card.
Betting again begins with the active player immediately clockwise from the button, and the same betting rules apply as they do for the flop and turn, as explained above.
Final betting and finding the winner
Players can now use any combination of the seven cards to make the best possible hand.
At the end of the final betting round, if there is more than one remaining poker player, the player who made the initial bet or the player who made the last raise shows their hand first.
The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. In the event of identical hands, the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands.
After the pot is awarded, a new game of Texas Hold'em is ready to be played. The button now moves clockwise to the next player, blinds and antes are once again posted, the deck is shuffled and new hands are dealt to each player.
