• Rules Of Texas Holdem Poker Handsds
• Texas Holdem Poker Rules And Hands
• Rules Of Texas Holdem Poker Handsoker Hands

Texas Holdem Hands – What Are the Best Hands? If you’re a beginning poker player and want to learn not only which hands beat which hands, but how to read the board and possible hands while playing Texas holdem, you’ve found the best page available to help. Texas Hold ‘em is played with a rotating dealer. During each hand, players are dealt two cards face-down, and three shared (a.k.a. Community) cards are dealt face-up. A hand of Texas Hold ‘em consists of a minimum of one and a maximum of four betting rounds. A hand ends when all but one of the players have folded. How to Play Texas Hold'em Poker: learn the most popular of all poker variations step-by-step. All of the marquee tournaments around the world highlight this variation. Texas Hold'em is the most.

Texas Hold’em poker is everywhere these days — on TV, online, and in clubs and casinos. Before you sit down to a game of Texas Hold ’em, make sure you’re in good shape to be successful — take care of non-poker issues and check your physical, mental, and financial status. During the game, you need to understand basic odds and playable hands, as well as how to bluff successfully and follow proper poker etiquette. Texas Hold ‘Em also has its own abbreviations for online play.

Playable Texas Hold’em Hands

Texas Hold’em is a game of strategy, like any poker game, but where you’re sitting in relation to the action becomes part of your strategy when playing Hold’em. If you bet early, you generally need better cards than you do if you’re one of the blinds. The following table offers sound advice on what hands are playable when you’re sitting in different positions.

Questions to Ask Yourself before You Play Texas Hold’em

Whether you’re playing Texas Hold’em for fun or money — make that whether you’re playing for high stakes or low stakes — make sure you’re in a position mentally, physically, and financially to enjoy the game and make the most of your chances. Ask yourself these questions before you sit down to a game:

• What is the purpose of my playing this session? Whether it’s to learn more, win money, or just hang with friends for a good time, make sure you know why you’re there and that you’re doing everything you can to accomplish that goal.

• If I were to play an opponent who’s exactly the same as a well-rested, un-stressed version of me, would that person have an advantage? If the answer is “yes,” hold off on playing until you’re in a better psychological and physical state.

• Can my bankroll handle this level of play? If not, play a lower level.

• Are there any distractions in my life that I need to get rid of before I play? Pay your rent, walk your dog, call your significant other — whatever it is, get it out of your head so you can focus.

• Do I know if the house I’m playing in has any bonuses for players such as bad beat jackpots, high hands, free food and/or drinks for players, or freeroll tournaments? If not, ask a floorperson before you start playing and find out about the details of how you can qualify.

• Is there an aggressive person at the table I’ll be playing at? If so, try to get yourself seated to his left so you see the raises before your action and not after.

• What do I know about the people sitting at the table? Whatever it is, use it to your advantage.

Rough Odds for Texas Hold’em

Playing poker is about playing the odds. The following list gives the odds for outcomes in Texas Hold’em hands. When you realize how heavily the odds are stacked against you, you may want to rethink going all-in before the flop with two suited cards. Use the odds to your advantage:

• 1 percent (1-in-100): Percentage of time that no player holds an Ace or a King at a table in a 10-handed game

• 1 percent (1-in-100): Percentage of time that if you hold two suited cards, you’ll flop a flush

• 6 percent (about 1-in-20): Percentage of time that five community cards will give pocket suited cards a flush

• 6 percent (about 1-in-20): Percentage of time that you’ll be dealt a pocket pair

• 8 percent (about 1-in-12): Percentage of time that you’ll hit at least trips after having a pair on the flop

• 12 percent (about 1-in-8): Percentage of time that you’ll flop trips if holding a pocket pair

• 12 percent (about 1-in-8): Percentage of time that two more cards will flop in the same suit as a suited pocket pair

• 19 percent (about 1-in-5): Percentage of time that the five community cards will at least trip your pocket pair

• 32 percent (about 1-in-3): Percentage of time that you’ll pair one of your cards on the flop (with no pocket pair)

• 33 percent (about 1-in-3): Percentage of time that you’ll make a full house or better after having trips on the flop

• 35 percent (about 1-in-3): Percentage of time that you’ll make a flush on the turn or river if you have four cards to a flush after the flop

Texas Hold’em Bluffing Tips

What makes any poker game exciting, and Texas Hold’em is certainly no exception, is that players can bluff at any point. Sometimes half the fun of a game is seeing whether you can successfully bluff an opponent out of some money. But, even as you’re misleading your opponents, make sure you bluff in the right circumstances. Heed these bluffing tips:

• Only bluff where it makes a difference to your standing — either in a tournament or to your stack of chips.

• Be careful bluffing someone considerably worse than you are. He may call just to see what you have, or on some probabilistically low draw when he already has you beaten anyway.

• Bluff in situations where the board hints at the great hand you do not have: straights and flushes being hinted at by the board, the turn of an Ace, and so on.

• Don’t try to bluff players who only play the most solid of hands if they’re still in the pot.

• Don’t bluff people who are extremely likely to call.

• Do bluff the timid or people who are likely to fold.

• Remember that it’s easier to bluff in No-Limit than Limit because the bets (both implied and real) are bigger.

Poker Etiquette for Texas Hold’em

The etiquette tips in the following list apply to Texas Hold’em and to any other poker game. Sure, you can have fun while you play poker, but you can have all the fun you want without being impolite to the other players or the dealer. Basic poker etiquette includes these tips:

• Always play in turn.

• Be aware of when it’s your turn to post the blinds and do so promptly.

• Any time there is a discrepancy at the table, talk to the dealer — not the other players — about it. If you’re not able to get satisfaction from the dealer, ask for a floorperson. Talking with other players about the problem you perceive may generate ill will among people who have no authority in the situation in the first place.

• Place your bets in front of you. Do not splash them into the pot.

• Do not show your hand to other players at the table while a hand is in progress.

• Tell the dealer when you intend to raise. In No-Limit, gather the amount that you’re going to raise and either announce the total, or move it all forward with one motion. This prevents being called on a “string raise.”

• Don’t forget to tip your dealer. Dealers work for minimum wage and rely on tips for their livelihood.

Online Poker Abbreviations for Texas Hold’em

Playing online poker in general, and Texas Hold’em in particular, is a very popular pastime. When you’re online, you may encounter abbreviations specific to the world of poker. To understand what other players are saying, get familiar with these online abbreviations:

When people think of playing poker, the game that comes to mind is more often than not Texas Hold’em. Despite its name, this variation of poker is pervasive across all cultures and is played in all corners of the world.

At first glance, Texas Hold’em poker looks like a confusing endeavor, but the reality of the matter is that it is a simple game that takes just a few minutes to learn.

Before we get into the finer details of the game itself, it is only right that we elaborate on a few key terms that you will hear time and time again while playing Hold’em.

[toctablerow id=”poker-terms”]Poker Terms[/toctablerow]
[toctablerow id=”rules”]Game Rules[/toctablerow]
[toctablerow id=”poker-hands”]Poker Hands[/toctablerow]
[toctablerow id=”example-hands”]Example Hands[/toctablerow]
[toctablerow id=”history”]History[/toctablerow]
[toctable][/toctable]

Texas Hold’em Vocabulary – Poker Terms

Button – person who is playing the role of dealer for a particular hand

Blinds – Mandatory bets made prior to cards being dealt. Blinds exist in Hold’em in lieu of an ante.

Check – the action of calling without ever having wagered any money. Prior to cards being turned, the person in the big blind may check if no one else has raised the bet.

Flop – Initial 3 cards dealt, also known as the first three community cards.

Pre-Flop – Any action that takes place prior to the flop.

Turn – 4^th community card dealt.

Flop – 5^th and final community card dealt.

Showdown – when players reveal their final cards

Pot – Cumulative wagers that the winner of the showdown takes.

The game of Texas Hold’em is a played with a community of players of varying sizes. By taking into consideration both the two cards which you are dealt (hole cards) as well as the community cards that are laid out on the table, you are to make wagers in hopes of luring other players in and ultimately besting them by making the best possible combination of community cards and hole cards. The trick is, no combination can exceed 5 cards. When it comes down to it, there are 2 different types of Texas Hold’em poker — cash games and tournament play. Though the rules remain the same across tournaments and cash games, the two game types are played entirely differently. For this article and for simplicity’s sake, we will focus solely on cash games.

Texas Hold’em is played with anywhere from 2 to 10 players with the main goal being to win as many chips (money) as you can by winning as many showdowns as you can.

Gameplay – Texas Holdem Poker Rules

To begin playing, the person immediately left of the button and the person immediately left of them offer up the small blind and big blind respectively. Once the blinds are settled, two cards are dealt, face down, to every player around the table. These cards are often referred to as the “hole” cards. At this point everyone except the person in the big blind is able to either match the big blind (call), raise the big blind, or fold. If and when a player folds, they no longer have the opportunity to win the hand.

It is important to mention that if a player chooses to raise, the amount by which they can increase the pot size (cumulative total of bets at any given time) depends on the specific type of Hold’em you are playing. In Limit Hold’em a player is only able to raise by the amount of the big blind. Pot Limit Hold’em allows for raises that total no more than the current pot size. Finally, No Limit Hold’em, as its name implies, places no limit on the amount by which a player can raise. In fact, a player can raise to an amount totaling all of their chips; at this point a player is deemed to be “all in.”

If and when a raise occurs, the subsequent bettors have the opportunity to wager an amount equaling to the raise, fold their hand, or re-raise (the act of raising the raise, so to speak).

When the first round of pre-flop betting is complete, the flop is laid down in the middle of the table. Immediately following this, the second round of betting begins with the first participating player to the left of the button. A unique facet of the second round of betting and every round following it is that a bettor has one additional action they may take. In addition to being able to bet, call, raise, and fold, a player is now able to check. If a person checks, they are neither betting nor folding, but rather passing the action on to the next player. Once betting is settled a fourth card is flipped, this card is referred to as the “Turn.”

The third round of betting identically resembles the preceding round and culminates with the showing of the fifth and final card, the “River.” Once all 5 community cards are laid down in the middle of the table, players participate in one final round of betting. As soon as the final round of wagering is complete, the remaining active players simultaneously reveal their cards to determine the hand’s winner. As you might expect, the winner is awarded the big blind, small blind, and all subsequent bets.

It is important to keep in mind that not every hand of Texas Hold’em makes it to the Showdown. If all players except for one fold their hand at any point, the hand is finished and the one player left standing is awarded the big blind, small blind, and any wagers that may have occurred.

A classic cash game of Texas Hold’em can, in theory, never come to an end. The glory of cash games, however, is that a player can pick up and leave at any time they would like.

Hold’em Hand Combinations – Poker Hands

When it comes to the showdown, when a winner is determined, the person with the best hand combination is determined to be the winner. By utilizing no more than 5 cards, including the cards in your hand and the 5 community cards, your goal is to make the best possible hand combination. Below, we will explain all possible poker hands starting from the strongest and working to the weakest.

Straight Flush

A straight flush is any hand that consists of 5 sequential cards all of the same suit. An example of this would be [card 9H 10H JH QH KH]. If the straight flush has an Ace as a high card, it is referred to as a Royal Flush.

4 of a Kind

4 of a kind, also known as quads, is a hand combination that consists of 4 cards of one rank. An example of this would be a [card 9H 9C 9S 9D].

Full House

Full House is also known as a full boat, and consists of 5 cards—1 pair and 1 3 of a kind. An example of this would be [card 8H 8S 10H 10S 10C].

Flush

Rules Of Texas Holdem Poker Handsds

A flush is a hand that consists of 5 cards all of the same suit. An example of this would be [card 3H 5H 10H QH KH].

Texas Holdem Poker Rules And Hands

Straight

A straight is a hand that consists of 5 cards in sequential order. An example of a straight would be [card 5H 6S 7S 8C 9H].

3 of a Kind

As its name implies, 3 of a kind is a hand combination consisting of 3 cards all of the same rank. For example, [card 7H 7C 7S] is an example of 3 of a kind.

Rules Of Texas Holdem Poker Handsoker Hands

2 Pair

2 pair is defined by having two separate 2-card pairs. To illustrate this, if the community cards are [card 9H QC 6S 2H 3S], a player may possess a hand consisting of [card 9C] [card 6H] to complete the 2 pair.

1 Pair

As its name implies, 1 pair is when you can only link up two cards of the same rank. If the community cards are [card AH QS 3D 5S 9H], and you have a hand consisting of [card AD] and [card 7D], you will have one pair.

High Card

Having just a high card means that you could make none of the above combinations, and are simply hoping that a card in your hand is higher than the cards in the hand of someone else who also failed to make any of the above combinations. For example, if the community cards consist of [card KH 9D 7H 2H 6S] and you posses a hand made up of [card AC] and [card 2H], your Ace high card would best a hand consisting of [card qh] and [card 3d].

The high card is something worth talking a bit more about, because in a few of the above combinations (the ones that do not utilize 5 cards), a high card may come into play. In a situation where 2 people have the same 2 pair, for example, the high card may very well come into play. For example, if your hand is [card 5H] [card QH], your opponent’s hand is [card 5D] [card AH], and the 5 community cards are [card 5S 9H 9S 10D KD], you both have 2 pair ([card 5s] and [card 9s]). In this instance, you would lose to your opponent by virtue of the high card because your opponent has an ace of hearts in his hand while your highest card is only the queen of hearts.

Example Hand

Now that you know more or less all of the components of the game of Texas Hold’em, it is only right that we walk through one sample hand to illustrate how all of these aforementioned components work together to build a hand, a sequence of hands, and the entire game of Texas Hold’em.

For this example, let’s say that the community cards consist of [card ks jd 10s 6h 3s].

If you hold the [card ad] and [card kc], you have the highest pair, kings. While this may seem like a surefire victory for you, you must take into consideration the possible hand combinations that other players might have.

In this example, if another player has the [card KD] and [card JS], his two pairs will win him the hand.

Beyond that, if a player has a hand that consists of [card 10D] and [card 10C], his three pair will also beat your high pair.

Still another pair that defeats your single pair is a hand consisting of [card 5S] and [card 7S].

Finally, another player could defeat your pair if he or she possesses the [card QS] and [card AH].

As you can clearly see from this basic example, Texas Hold’em has a way of making you think that your card combination cannot possibly be beat that of another’s. The reality, however, is that you must pay close attention in order to consider the possible combinations that your opponents may have.

Brief History

When poker was first founded was not officially recorded, but most historians agree that its roots stretch back to the 16^th century. Beyond that, poker is said to have formed from a Persian game called As Nas and a European card game named Primero. From As Nas, poker derived tactics such as bluffing, while the different hand combinations were an important aspect of Primero.

When the French arrived to the Louisiana Territory in the 18^th century, a popular game of theirs was referred to as “poque.” It is thought that the name of this card game paved the way for the use of the term “poker.” As more and more Europeans settled the area, and populations advanced northward and westward, the newly derived game of poker found its way to new players all the time. By the middle of the 19^th century, the game of poker had evolved into a 52-card game that can regularly be found in books describing card games of the era.

By the time the 20^th century dawned on the United States, poker was found in just about all inhabited areas of the country. Propelled by the playing of the game during the Civil War, poker was a mainstay of American card games and even began being introduced to other countries around the world. Nowadays you will be hard-pressed to find any global casino-goer that is not at least vaguely familiar with the game of poker, specifically Texas Hold’em.