Texas Holdem Rules

By Author: Jon Bulo
Total Articles: 3
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Texas holdem is a game that you will most likely see when you watch poker on TV. It is one of the most popular and favorite versions played by poker players, especially at the master levels. Texas holdem is also the game version that is played at the World Series of Poker tournaments - one of the most popular poker tournaments played by best poker players in the world. This game version allows players to keep only two face-down cards for themselves. Five additional cards, called community cards dealt face-up in the center of the table and shared by all players. The online version of the game follows the same rules. The only difference is that the cards are displayed on the computer screen instead of the traditional casino's game table. Up to 9 players can join a game. In this article we will focus on the online version of the game.

The dealer button will identify the player who is the dealer for the current hand. This button rotates around the table. Even though there is only one dealer in actuality, the dealer button affects the betting order and position and therefore is important. As soon as the game limit is identified, ...
... the player who is next after the dealer has to place the small blind - a start bet at half the lower limit. Next player also has to place a blind, but this time a big blind valued at full lower limit. Then the dealer (the computer) moves around the virtual table and distributes each player two cards face down, one card at a time. Players can not see each other's cards. You can see your own cards and can start analyzing them at this time.

Players can start placing bets starting from the next player (on the left side) to the one who placed the second blind. There are three choices: players can call, raise or fold. You may not check at this time since there's a bet (the big blind) on the table. The blinds are still considered live. In the next round (the Flop) three community cards are shown to the players. Players bet again, starting from the player to the dealer's left side. Bets can be placed only at the lower game limit. Players can call, raise, fold or check. After the fourth community card is shown, there is yet another round of betting. It is similar to the previous round, only the bets and raises are at the upper game limit. After the fifth community card is shown, there is one more round of betting. Next each player determines the best available card combination using the two private and five community cards. A player who has a superior combination wins the game.

Jon writes for the website OnlinePokerTutor.com, the best place to find info about online poker strategy and how to win at poker.