Texas Holdem is a poker game that has won the hearts of many people around the world. There is no shortage of people in New Zealand who choose this type of poker for fun or money. At casinolisting we have a lot of casino reviews that can help you find the right one to play Texas Holdem. But before you jump in and make your casino deposit let’s dive a bit deeper into how is the game of Texas Holdem played?
Poker rules – Key terms
Dealer
Before the start of the poker game, the dealer’s position must be indicated. This is the position corresponding to the position of the dealer in the hand. Most often the dealer in the first hand of the game is the player sitting in the last position at the table, which is marked with a special puck, so this position is sometimes called a button. With each hand, the dealer’s puck moves one seat to the left.
The dealer is the best position at the table, because in each betting round the player makes the last decision, knowing what his opponents have done. In online gaming and most live tournaments, the dealer’s position is a conventional one, as the cards are dealt either by a slot machine or by a professional dealer.
Blinds
Simply put, blinds are mandatory bets placed by the two closest players to the left of the dealer.
There are two blinds in Texas Holdem: the small blind and the big blind. The first player to the left of the dealer pays the small blind. The big blind, usually twice the small blind, is paid by the player to the left of the small blind. The amount of the blinds shows us the size of the stakes in a given game, this only applies to cash games. Most players buy-in for the equivalent of 100 big blinds. So if you want to spend 200 PLN on a game, you should sit on a table with 1/2 blinds. In tournaments, the blinds increase every certain number of minutes, thus giving the game more dynamics.
All-in – The player who puts his last chips in the pot plays all-in. An all-in player cannot win more money from another player than he had on the table in front of the pot. The all-in player will be entitled to the main pot, and if other players put more money in the pot, to the side-pot.
Ante (Base Pot) – A small mandatory bet that everyone at the table must place before each hand. In games with an ante, these stakes form the starting pot.
Rake – Chips deducted from the pot by the card room as payment for the game.
Rebuy – When you sit down, you start the game with a certain amount of money (buy-in). Rebuying is when you buy more chips before you leave the game. Rebuys are also allowed in some tournaments for players who go below a certain point – part
Call – This call means to match the current stake. If there was a 10 bet and a raise of 10, the cost of entry is 20. Entry is the cheapest way to stay in the game.
Check – If there was no bet in front of you in that betting round, you can check, which means the same as calling with an 0 bet, or skip your turn.
Fold – To quit the game, usually when someone else bets more than you want to call.
Heads-up – Only plays between two players.
Muck – The file (heap) of discarded cards or the rejection of cards to this file (and thus excluding them from the game).
Main Pot When a player goes all-in in a table stakes game, that player is the only one who has the right to win the main pot – the pot, consisting of those bets he could have equaled. For additional bets, placed in a side pot, the game is between the other players.
Texas Holdem poker rules of play, hands
Evaluation of cards – do you enter the bidding?
The first point of each game is to receive two cards. A minimum of two people can play Texas Holdem, whether it’s friendly or online poker, the rules are always the same. Each player receives two cards and only they can see and use them. Each player must assess the potential of their cards at this point. The easiest situation is when someone gets a pair of Aces, 2 kings, and so on. Then you have to enter the auction so that you don’t waste your chance to take over your opponent’s or rivals’ budget.
However, there are usually more tactics and things to be taken into consideration than that.
You have to evaluate your cards, but also other variables.
These are the position at the table, your opponent’s budget, etc. Players can even out the bet, fold, raise, or wait. There is also a chance even at this stage to play all in – without knowing the community cards. However, this is a big risk and you have to be aware of it when making decisions. Sometimes someone wants to scare their rivals with such a move, but in the long run, it is not an attitude that gives a chance to win regularly.
Texas Holdem game flow
Flop, turn, river – community cards
Deal of cards
The game starts with a mark of the dealer’s place, in front of which there is a disc with the word “button” or “dealer”. Then the player to the left of the dealer’s hand pays a small blind (usually half the big blind), and the next player to the left of the dealer pays a big blind.
These are mandatory blinds, which are paid in blinds by the players so that the game has sufficient dynamics.
The cards are then dealt, each player receives two cards. These are cards whose value is known only to their holders
The game before the flop – the first betting round
After the cards have been dealt, the first betting round begins, the first bettor being the player to the left of the big blinds (this position is called Under the Gun or UTG).
This player has three options to choose from – he can fold, i.e. throw his cards away without investing chips (he no longer plays in this hand), he can make a “call”, i.e. to check, he has to deposit an amount equal to the big blind to do so. He can also raise, i.e. play more than the big blind, the raise must be at least twice the big blind (if the big blind is 4, the minimum raise is 8). Each subsequent player can make the same decision.
Flop
When the preflop auction is over (the final decisions will be made by all participants) the flop is lined. The flop is the three community cards that appear in the middle of the table. These cards can be used by any of the players remaining in the game in any way (different card combinations can be used to create a 5-card poker hand: 2 hole cards + 3 cards from the table, 1 hole card + 4 cards from the table, or 0 hole cards + 5 cards from the table).
After the flop, another betting round takes place, which starts with the player sitting to the left of the dealer. This player can wait (check) or bet. Any subsequent player may, as before the flop, wait (if there was no play before the flop), bet, raise or fold.
Turn and river
At the end of this betting round, the fourth community card, i.e. the turn, appears on the table and another betting round takes place under the same rules as after the flop.
The last (fifth) community card is the river and is followed by the last betting round.
Showdown
At the end of the game, the remaining players showdown their cards, and the pool of chips goes to the one who has the better 5-card poker hand.
At the end of the hand, the dealer’s chip moves one place to the left and the next hand begins.
A few rules about revealing cards in Holdem:
The first card to be exposed is the player who has been checked. So if Player A has played the river and Player B has checked, Player A is obliged to show the cards first.
If no player has made a raise on the river, then the player closest to the dealer on the left-hand side reveals the cards first.
A player with a losing hand no longer has to show his cards and can fold them without telling anyone the strength of his hand.
Who wins in Texas Holdem?
Then there is the last betting, the last dragging of the rope between the players and it must finally come to a final settlement. If no one folds, the players must show their cards. Then the player who simply has the best, strongest hand wins. It is best to have a royal flush also known as a straight flush. Then you are sure to win.
Royal flush is a hand where there are cards from Ace to 10 (they have the same suit).
There may be a chance as well that you have nothing, with a is a possibility that the other person will also have nothing. What then? Then the high card decides. If someone has an ace, he can feel safe. An ace is stronger than a king, lady, jack, and so on. What’s certain is that every gambler has to read the hand ranking carefully before he starts the game, so that it’s easier for him to assess his chances of winning. The right decision also makes it easier to manage your budget in every single game.