A Basic Guide To Online Texas Holdem Poker
At its core, poker is a game where the best five-card hand wins the pot, no matter which variant you play. The cards are divided into four suits, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades, all of which have an equal ranking, with the Ace being the highest card and the 2 the lowest.The most popular form of poker for years has been Texas Hold’em poker.
Our experts at Gamble Online have compiled a basic guide on how to play Texas Hold’em poker to help beginners start playing and improve their poker skills, while assisting players on their journey to win real money or prizes playing poker or find a Texas Hold’em poker free game. Below, you will learn about:
Best Online Texas Holdem Betting Sites
- What does a poker dealer do?
- What are poker blinds?
- What is the poker flop?
- What is the turn in poker?
- What is the river in poker?
Texas Holdem Poker Before The Flop
Texas Hold’em Poker is a community card game, and as such, cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table and are shared by all the players taking part in the poker hand. A couple of things that make Texas Hold’em unique are its use of a dealer button and blinds.
Dealer
Wherever you are participating in Texas Hold’em, the action rotates around the dealer. There is a dealer button that rotates around the table clockwise after each hand. The dealer is last to act on every betting round (except pre-flop).
The dealer position also dictates who will post the blinds.
Blinds
You may already be familiar with the term antes – forced player bets players put into the pot before the cards are distributed. Blinds are like that. The only difference is just the two players to the left of the dealer have to post them. Blinds consist of a small blind and big blind.
The small blind, which is half the minimum bet, is placed by the player to the left of the dealer while the following player, who is second on the left, places the big blind, which is the minimum bet amount of the poker game.
For example, in a $1/$2 Texas Hold’em game, the small blind is $1 and the big blind is $2, which is the least you can bet on any further round.
How To Bet In Texas Holdem Poker
The game begins with each of the players being dealt two cards face down, which are theirs. These cards are called ‘hole cards’ or ‘pocket cards’. Once the cards have been given out, betting action begins in a clockwise manner, with the player left to the big blind making the first move and play continuing around the table until the last player has acted.
Each of the players is free to raise, call or pass in this first round of betting. To ‘raise’, a player must make an initial bet or place a higher amount than the preceding bet and all players will have to call. A player can ‘call’ by placing a bet of the same amount as the previous bet placed.
If a player wishes to ‘pass,’ then there is no betting required. However, if a bet occurs ahead of their play in the rotation, they must match it or sit out the remainder of the hand.
The small blind, which is half the minimum bet, is placed by the player to the left of the dealer while the following player, who is second on the left, places the big blind, which is the minimum bet amount of the poker game.
The Flop
With the end of the first round of betting, three additional cards are dealt out that are placed in the center of the table. These are community cards players may combine with their hole cards to make the best possible five-card hand. The three cards are known as the ‘flop.’
Following this begins a betting round, starting with the first remaining player to the left of the dealer. Players may check, call, raise or fold as desired. By checking, a player chooses to move on with the hand without placing a wager. However, if all active players choose to check, there will be no addition to the pot in the round.
The Turn
Once that betting round is over, another community card is dealt. This card is referred to as the turn card. A third betting round takes place in the same manner as the second round.
The River
Next, the final card is dealt. This is the river card. A last round of betting takes place. The hand concludes when each of the players remaining reveal their hole cards in order to determine who has the best five-card combination of cards.
Another way to win the hand is by making other players fold their hands. Because they can’t see your hole cards, they are unaware of what your best combination of five cards is. You could be bluffing or have the best possible hand in the game. This is where the skill in poker surfaces and why the debate rages whether poker is less gambling or an opportunity to win real money as you get more experienced.
This is the basic structure of Texas Hold’em, which will help you get started. However, there is a lot more that you need to learn before you can become an expert in the game. Moreover, regular practice and sensible use of your bankroll will help you go a long way.
Texas Hold’em Poker Glossary
| Texas Hold’em Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Chips | the tokens on the table that represent a certain value or dollar amount |
| Check | when no wager is made and the action is on the next player to the left |
| Call | when you match the highest bet currently on the table |
| Raise | when somebody to your right wagers a certain amount and you increase that amount by a certain amount |
| Bluff | when you pretend to have really good cards, but don’t |
| Slow Play (a Hand) | when you believe you have really good cards and try to lure the other poker players in to fattening up the pot |
| All-In | when you push all your chips into the center of the table in hopes of either winning the pot or busting out |
| Texas Hold’em | one of, if not thee, most popular poker games on the planet made popular by the World Series of Poker |
| Flop | first three community cards laid down by the dealer |
| Turn | after a round of betting, the fourth card laid down by the dealer |
| River | after a round of betting, the fifth card laid down by the deal |
| Muck | fold a hand, when cards are discarded into center of table |
| Nut hand | strongest possible hand in a given situation |
| Ante | initial bet(s) before the cards are dealt |
| Down to the Felt | out of chips |
| On Tilt | emotionally fueled poker betting void of reason or strategy, trying to make up for ones losses |
| Burn a card | to discard a card at the top of the deck before a community card is dealt |
| Hole cards | your first two cards that are face down, also known as pocket cards |
| Rake | percentage of the pot that the house takes as a fee |