Global Sports: Want To Discover How To Play Texas Holdem - Learn These Rules Now

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Want To Discover How To Play Texas Holdem - Learn These Rules Now

By Alex Bannon


If you want to get a lockdown on how to play Texas Holdem then learn the information that is in this article. It will teach you everything you need to know on how to play Holdem. Read this article now.

Texas Holdem is one form of poker that is both popular and easy to learn. All you need is a deck of cards (minus the jokers) and a good strategy. Playing this game well will not be possible though without ample knowledge of game rules. So, let's learn them now.

Holdem may be played by as much as eleven players or as little as two players, which is sometimes referred as 'playing head to head'. The game starts when two players to the left of the dealer start posting the 'blinds'.

Blinds are bets and are called such because these bets are made even before players know what their cards are. The player to the dealer's left posts the 'small blind' which is equivalent to the minimum betting amount. The player next to him places the 'big blind' which is double the amount of the small blind.

Dealers may be part of the play, depending on where the game is held. Casinos hire people to deal cards and are thus forbidden to gamble. Private games however may designate a player / dealer by placing a button marked with a 'd' or dealer on it.

It is always important to identify the dealer as this will also pinpoint the player who will post the big and small blinds. The dealer button also help in setting an order of players - the player to the left of the big blind dictates who bets next, etc.

After the blinds have been posted, the dealer gives every player their hole cards. Hole cards are two cards dealt to players face down at the start of the game. They are also called individual or pocket cards. Once the hole cards are given, the first round of betting starts.

Players have the option to either raise, call or fold in each betting round. To define these actions simply, to raise means increasing the betting amount, to call is to meet someone else' raise and to fold is to give up or leave the game altogether. If a player chooses to fold, he leaves the game automatically forfeits his right to win the pot.

When all the players have placed their bets, a burn card is discarded and three community cards are drawn face up. These cards are collectively known as 'the flop'.

Burn cards, on the other hand, are cards that are taken from the top of the deck before community cards are drawn. This is done to prevent cheating. Additionally, community cards are cards that all players can use to form their winning hands.

There are five community cards in total in every game.

The flop is followed by another round off betting, a burn card and a fourth community card. This fourth card is called 'the turn'. This is followed shortly by the last betting round, another burn card and a final community card called 'the river'.

Holdem is finally capped by a showdown wherein all active players reveal their hands to determine the winner. Only five out of the available seven cards (two hole cards and five community cards) may be used in play. An excess of that will not be considered.




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