How to Play Texas Hold 'Em

In Texas Hold 'Em, two cards are dealt to each player, two cards to the dealer and five community cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table. Each player will use his or her two hole cards along with the five community cards to form the best five-card (highest ranked) poker hand.

A dealer button (which is a round disk) moves clockwise from player to player with each hand. The button marks which player would be the dealer if the deal were advanced from player to player as the game went along.

Pre Flop

The game starts with two players to the left of the dealer (the button) putting a predetermined amount of money into the pot before any cards are dealt, to make sure there's something to play for on every hand. This is called "posting the blinds."

The first player (the player to the left of the dealer) posting this predetermined amount is called the "small blind". The next person in order posts the "big blind". In most cases, the the "first blind" puts up half the minimum bet, and the "second blind" puts up the full minimum bet.

The board cards are then dealt in three sequences known as the flop, the turn, and the river.

Note: Players are allowed to call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.

There are four rounds of betting in Texas Hold 'Em. Two at at the smaller limit and two at the larger limit.

The first round of betting takes place after each player has been dealt his initial two-card hand.

The second round of betting takes place after the flop has been dealt.

The third round takes place after the turn card has been dealt

The fourth and final round takes place after the river card has been dealt.

The Flop

After the first betting round, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called burning the card and is done to help prevent cheating by making sure no one accidentally saw the top card.

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The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table simultaneously. These cards are called the "flop." These are the first of five community cards that all players can use, along with their pocket cards, to make the best possible poker hand.

The Turn (Fourth Street)

The dealer burns another card and plays one more face up onto the table. This fourth community card is called the "turn" or "Fourth Street."

There is then another round of betting, exactly as after the flop. The player to the left of the dealer (the button) begins this third round of betting.

The River (Fifth Street)

The dealer burns another card before placing the fifth and last community card face-up on the table. This card is called the "River" or "Fifth Street." Anytime before or after the river, if all but one player folds, the last player who didn't fold wins the pot.

Showdown

At this point, if everyone has folded but you, you become the winner. If that's not the case then the only way to win a hand is in a showdown. In a showdown, players can use any combination of seven cards. The five community cards and the two hole cards known only to them to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.

All players still in the hand show their cards, starting with the player who made the initial bet or the player who made the last raise. At any point after this player showed his cards other players in the showdown may muck their hand.

The player with the best hand then wins.