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Holdem Poker Basics |
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Texas Hold 'em Poker - or just Hold
'em, as most players know it - is
probably the best known and most
popular form of poker today. The
popularity comes from the recent
explosion of interest in poker.
Television exposure, in the form of
the World Poker Tour, coverage of
the World Series of energized the
public. Online players have turned $25 tournament buy-ins into millions, and this has helped popularize online play. And
the game of choice in all these events is Hold 'em.
Blinds
Each hand of Hold 'em starts with two blinds. Blinds are preliminary bets made by two
players before cards are dealt for the purpose of stimulating action. If there was nothing
to win, the first player to make a decision would have no reason to make a bet. The deal
position is indicated by a white disk, labeled D, called the dealer button, or, simply, the
button. This is the position from which the dealer would distribute cards if the dealer
were one of the players. Prior to cards being distributed, the player to the left of the
button puts in chips equal to (usually) half the size of the minimum bet for the game. The
player to that player's left puts in chips equal to the minimum bet for the game. For
example, in a $2/$4 limit game, the small blind would be $1 and the big blind $2.
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Sitting Down
When you first sit down at a table, you must wait for the big blind to arrive at your
position. This happens naturally, because the button moves one position to the left
(clockwise) after each hand. Alternatively, to get dealt in immediately, you can post, that
is, put in a blind the same size as the big blind. If you post, you get dealt in right away
and on succeeding hands.
Each player must put both a small blind and a big blind into the pot once each per
round. If you ever miss the blinds in a round, you must either wait for the big blind to get
to you, or post both missed blinds. This you do at one time. An amount equal to the size
of the big blind is part of your bet. (It plays for you.) An amount equal to the size of the
small blind becomes part of the pot and is not part of your bet. For example, in a $2/$4
limit game, if you miss the blinds and do not wait for the big blind to get to you to get
back into play, you would put $3 into the pot, of which $2 would be considered part of
your bet when it is your turn to act on the first round, and $1 would belong to the pot-to
be won by the eventual winner of the pot.
First Round - The Flop
When the blinds are in place, the dealer distributes first one card and then another face
down to each player, starting with the little blind. These two starting cards are called
hole cards. Your hole cards appear face up on screen, but don't worry; only you can
see your hole cards. Only the backs of every other player's hole cards appear on
screen. Every other player has a similar view, with only his own hole cards visible.
Each player starts with two cards, and then five cards are placed face-up in the center
of the table. These community cards are part of each player's hand, so each player has
access to seven cards. Each player tries to make the best possible poker hand by using
five of the seven cards. Since a poker hand consists of exactly five cards, only the best
five of the seven cards play.
Hold 'em, as any form of poker, is about betting. Hold 'em has four betting rounds. The
sizes of the bets depend on the structure of the game, of which Hold 'em has three
possibilities:
- limit game
- pot-limit game
- no-limit game
The betting on the first round always starts with the player just to the left of the big blind.
This position is sometimes called under the gun. In the picture above you are under the
gun. As the first player, you have three choices. You can:
- fold
- open for the minimum (limp)
- open for a raise
If you fold at any point, your cards are removed from play and no longer appear on the
screen, you are out until the next hand, and you have no further interest in the pot. If
you fold, the next player has the same choices. If everyone folds, including the small
blind, the pot goes to the big blind, and the next hand is dealt.
If you or anyone else opens, each succeeding player has three choices:
- fold
- call, that is, match the preceding bet
- raise, that is, increase the preceding bet
Each player in turn has the same three choices. If there has been a raise, each player
who chooses to continue must either call the total bet thus far or himself raise. In any
one round of betting, there can be a maximum of one bet plus three raises. When the
betting (also called action) gets to the blinds, they have the same choices. However,
they already have chips in the pot, and those chips count towards their bet. For
example, if, in a $2/$4 limit game, you had opened for $2, and two players had raised,
the total bet would be $6. When it was the turn of the small blind, that player could fold.
The player could call, by putting $5 into the pot. (He already has $1 in.) Or that player
could raise, by putting $7 into the pot. This would cap the betting for that round, that is,
cause it to reach the maximum. (Pot limit and no limit games have no cap on the number
of bets that can be made.)
The second round of betting takes place. In this round, the betting starts with the first
active player (one who still has cards) to the left of the button. If the small blind called on
the first round, that player would be first to act, even though he was next-to-last on the
first round of betting. Only in the first round (sometimes called the preflop round) does
the betting start elsewhere. In all rounds after the first, the first player has two choices:
- check, that is, make no bet
- bet, that is, make a bet at the proper limit for that round
If no one bets, each player in turn has the same choices. It is possible in every round
except the first for no betting to occur. No betting in a round is called being checked
around.
If anyone bets, each succeeding player has three choices:
- fold
- call, that is, match the preceding bet
- raise, that is, increase the preceding bet
A player who checks retains his cards. If someone bets, when the action returns, a
player who checked has the preceding three choices. To check and then raise when the
betting returns is known, reasonably enough, as check-raising. If you check with the
intention of raising, you of course risk the possibility that no one will bet.
The Turn
Once the betting for the second round is equalized, that is, once everyone has had an
opportunity either to check or match the total betting for the round, the dealer deals one
more card face up in the center of the table. This fourth of the community cards is called
the turn.
The third round of betting takes place. Again, the betting starts with the first active
player to the left of the button. The betting proceeds exactly the same as the second
round. In a limit game, in the third round and fourth rounds the betting usually proceeds
in increments twice the size of the first two rounds.
The River
Once the betting for the third round is equalized, the dealer deals a fifth and final card
face up in the center of the table. This last community card is called the river.
The fourth and final round of betting takes place. Again, the betting starts with the first
active player to the left of the button. The betting proceeds exactly the same as the two
previous rounds.
Showdown
Once the betting for the fourth round is equalized, the betting is over, and there is a
showdown. Remaining active players show their cards and the best hand, comprised of
the best five cards from among each player's combination of two hole cards plus the
community cards, wins. The holder of the winning hand is awarded the pot.
Players do not show their cards simultaneously. The showdown takes place in a
specified order.
The first player to have bet or the last player to have raised in any previous round
shows first. (If there was no betting on the river, the cards of the first player to have bet
or the last player to have raised on the turn would be shown first on the showdown-and
so on.) Then the next active player if he has a better hand than the one just shown (or
ties it). If the next active player does not have a better hand he can show his cards, if he
wishes, or he can just get rid of the cards (muck). This repeated for each remaining
active player in turn the same-either turning over the hand if it is better than (or tied
with) any shown thus far or offering the choice of showing or mucking and the pot goes
to the best hand.
If the betting is not equalized on the final round, that is, one player bet or raised and no
one called, there is no showdown, and then the pot goes to the player who made that
uncalled bet. This is the case on any previous round, as well. If it happens on earlier
rounds, no further cards are dealt, because the hand is over.
Sometimes a player runs out of chips before all the betting is over. In such case, one or
more side pots are created. When a player is all in, a bet or raise can be made that is
not called, but a showdown still takes place.
In determining the winning hand, the combination of five best cards sometimes includes
both a player's hole cards. Sometimes it includes only one of a player's hole cards.
Sometimes, rarely, no hole cards are used. In such a case, the board would contain
some combination better than any hand that can be made using any player's hole cards.
This is called playing the board. When all players play the board, the pot is split equally
among all players remaining in the hand at that point. For example, with an ace-high
straight of four different suits on the board, it would be impossible for any player to
produce a five-card combination better than an ace-high straight. If three players
remained, the pot is split equally among the three.
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