Texas Hold’em Rules – Part 1

Introduction To Learn To Play Texas Hold’em

Currently the most popular form of card game in the world of poker thanks to the drama it can create, Texas Hold’em is definitely the one game of poker you want to be good at. Texas Hold’em rules are pretty simple to learn but mastering the game is what could take you a lifetime. The thrill of this game will definitely push you to learn to play Texas Hold’em first. However before being good at the game you need to learn the rules, the basics of how to play this game.

In order to make the rules clear, I’ve divided this guide in several parts. Today, you will simply go over what is the proper setup for a table and a few simple definitions or lingo in order to understand what I’m going to talk about in the future parts.

The Requirements

Texas Hold’em, like any other poker game, is a game that simply requires a standard deck 52 cards that include cards from Ace to King in the following four suits: Heart, Diamond, Club and Spade. It also require play chips and a special chips called the button . Ideally playing on a table with rounded corners is more convenient. If not, it’s not a big deal. If you are playing online, then you don’t have to worry about any of these. A single table will usually vary between 2 to 10 players and the order of playing is always clockwise.

The Gameplay

So how is the order of play determined? First of all the seating of the players should be set randomly. Usually a simple draw for the highest card would suffice. The player with the highest draw will be known as the button and the first player to the left of the button will be first to act. Before the cards can be dealt, there are two forced bets that must be placed. These bets are called blinds, simply because the two players are putting chips in play before even seeing any cards. Only the two players to the left of the button are required to post blinds every hand before any cards can be dealt. The first player to the left of the button, will post a small blind and the second player to the left of the button will post a big blind.

From there, the hole cards can be dealt starting from the first player to the left of the button. In a house game, usually the player who is button is the dealer, while in a casino the dealer will take care of dealing the cards. Cards must be dealt to players one at a time in a clockwise motion. If everything was done right, the last card should always be dealt to the button.

Once the hole cards are dealt, there are four stages known as the preflop, the flop, the turn and the river. I will cover these in detail in the following posts so tune in for the rest of the rules on how to play Texas Hold’em.

Related Posts

• Texas Hold’em Rules – Part 4
• Texas Hold’em Rules – Part 3
• Texas Hold’em Rules – Part 2