Natalya Shibanova

Among all types of poker, Texas Hold'em is the most popular. One of the reasons is that the rules of playing Texas poker are accessible even to dummies. This is probably why most poker tournaments in the world are held exactly according to the rules of Texas poker.
From this article you will learn about the rules of Texas Hold'em poker.

Texas poker - rules: basic nuances

To play Texas Hold'em, a deck with a set of 52 cards is used - from deuces to aces. Up to 10 poker players sit at the table. The point of the game is to collect the best combination of 5 cards. Each player will receive a maximum of 7 cards from the dealer (two are his own, hidden from everyone, and five are visible to everyone, because the dealer puts them on the table).

Community cards in Texas poker

Before the first distribution of cards occurs, the game participants use a round chip called a “button” to determine the dealer. It is needed for the player sitting to his left to make the first bet. The dealer also deals the cards when playing at home (in a tournament this is done by a special person, but in online poker the deal is automatic).

First, two players are identified who make mandatory bets. These bets are called the small blind (SB) and the big blind (BB). This is necessary so that the bank always has capital. Players make “blind bets”: they have actually already paid, although they have not yet seen the cards.

So, the first player makes the SB, and to the left of him, the second, respectively, makes the BB, which is most often twice the small bet. In each subsequent distribution of cards, the dealer is new, i.e. all tournament participants alternately become the SB and BB buttons for a while.

When the blinds are set, according to the rules of the Texas Hold'em poker game, each poker player is dealt 2 cards face down.

The first round of the game is called “preflop”.

Preflop - the first round of the game

It begins with trading, the meaning of which is betting on the game, which is made clockwise by all participants in the game. They can do things like:

• fold/pass (discarding your cards and leaving the hand);
• a check (refusal to place a bet, but not fold your cards) is simply a transfer of the game move;
• bet (bet), which poker players will have to equalize or fold. You can go all-in i.e. bet all the remaining chips (money) - then the player remains on the hand until it ends;
• call (equalizing the previous player's bet), i.e. the same amount is sent to the bank;
• raise (increasing the bet), which forces the remaining participants in the championship to either equalize the new bet or increase it.

The first round of betting ends when the largest bet of that hand is called.

The second round of betting is called the flop.

Flop - second round of the game

The dealer removes the top card from the deck and lays out a 3-card combination (flop) on the table (board). According to the poker rules in Texas Hold'em, the second round begins with the poker player sitting to the left of the dealer. If a player makes a “pass”, then the turn goes clockwise to the next one. Player applications are similar to those in the 1st round. They only add the opportunity to bet (be the first to raise bets in a given round) and check.

The third round of betting is called the turn.

Turn - third round of the game

The dealer places 4 cards from the deck onto the board, after which betting begins. Next, following the rules of Texas Hold'em, the fifth and last card (river) is laid out.

River - final round of the game

As a result, each of the tournament participants has 7 cards (2 pocket and 5 community cards on the table). The player's task is to collect the best combination.

If two or more poker players have the same card combinations at showdown (cards shown), the player whose card combination includes the kicker (higher card) wins. The kicker is possible in combinations - pair, 2 pairs, three of a kind (set) or four of a kind. In other poker hands the kicker rule does not apply.

Read more about card combinations in poker - read another article on our website “Card combinations in poker”.

Rules for playing Texas Hold'em poker - video:

Texas Hold'em– the most popular type of poker today. If you have played “some kind of poker” but don’t know what it is called, most likely it was Hold’em. If you are ever offered to learn how to play this game, it may well be that it will be Hold'em again.

It is so popular, despite the fact that it began to spread only at the end of the last century. It quickly overtook Stud and Draw poker, and is now competing with Omaha for popularity, although it is noticeably ahead of it.

The rules of Texas Poker are very simple. We will go over all the points you need to know, both regarding individual hands and understanding the world of poker as a whole. Some theses will be presented separately. Having memorized them, it will not be difficult for you to quickly get used to the rules and move on to mastering the skill of the game.

Hold'em concept

Let's say you've never played poker before. What do you need to know for this? The game is built around two concepts: bets and combinations. Bets provide a competitive component, and collecting combinations is responsible for determining the winners of the hand.

One hand in poker is called a hand. It lasts from the moment the blinds are set until the pot is played.

The simplest game mode – cash tables. When you simply take a certain place, take the required number of chips and start playing. There can be a lot of hands here, it all depends on your goals.

In the popular tournament format Sit&Go everything happens a little more strictly.

They can take place for two, five or nine. Players make a certain contribution and always receive the same number of chips. The one who loses them is eliminated from the game. The tournament lasts until there is only one winner left.

Multi-Table Tournaments (MTT) is the stronghold of world poker. They are like championships in any other sport. It all starts the same way as with Sit&Go. But only the winner of the table does not finish the game, but goes to the next table, where new opponents are selected for him. In this knockout format, the game continues until there is only one winner. Multi-table tournaments can even involve hundreds of thousands of participants. Most often, in this case, prizes are received not by the first 2-3 people, but by a whole dozen or even a hundred.

Limits in Hold'em poker

There are several options for limits for playing poker:

• Unlimited – when the size of the maximum bet of one player is limited only by the number of his chips;
• Fixed – when both the minimum and maximum rates are clearly indicated;
• Pot limit – when the maximum bet is determined by the formed pot. The closer to the end of the hand, the more chips you can bet.

For Hold'em the most characteristic is the unlimited game mode, when players have no maximum bet limit. It is thanks to this feature that many professional players quickly get rid of beginners in the first stages of tournaments without any extra effort.

So desperate game is not encouraged, but it is possible, and every beginner considers it his duty to pathetically “go all-in.”

Texas Poker Rules

Now let's move on to the most interesting part - how the game itself happens. Let's look at one hand.

In Hold'em Texas Poker game starts with setting the blinds

These are mandatory bets that are made by two players every hand. One bets, for example, $1, the second – $2. The big blind is almost always twice the size of the small blind.

How is it determined who should post the blind?

The game has a button chip, the owner of which is considered the dealer (not to be confused with the one who deals the cards - this is the dealer). The chip must move clockwise every hand.

The player to the left of the button posts a small blind, followed by the big blind.

It is believed that those who make these bets are in the most disadvantageous position. Because even after receiving bad cards, they still have to spend their chips. The best position is for the dealer and one or two players from him counterclockwise. Being in this position, they have the opportunity to assess the position at the table.

After posting the blinds at Texas Poker Each player receives 2 hole cards. Regardless of the variety chosen, analyzing these cards is the most important initial action in the game.

The cards are dealt and the betting round begins.

In Texas Holdem there will be four of these. What is the essence of trading?

Each player can bet a certain number of chips.

It is important to remember that in order to continue participating in the hand you need to bet the maximum number of chips that one of the previous players put up

Other actions are also available. But the main rule is that the amount you bet cannot be less than the maximum that any other player bet. The only exception is if you simply don't have enough chips to match. But even for this there is a special rule in poker.

A side bank is created, where chips are collected for which you can compete. The rest are sent to the main treasury, which will be played only among those who made the required bet.

If a player does not want to call, he can fold his cards. But at the same time, he ceases to participate in the distribution and loses everything bet both earlier and in previous betting rounds.

What actions are available to players in Holdem Poker?

• Call (call, equalize) – bet a number of chips equal to the maximum bet made by any of the players;
• Fold (fold, discard) – discard your cards;
• Raise (raise, increase) – increase the number of chips. The increase amount must be at least twice the previous bet;
• Re-raise (re-raise, re-raise) - used when you want to increase a previously raised bet;
• All-in (all-in, all-in) – bet all available chips.

The first action in Texas Hold'em is taken by the player to the left of the big blind. The turn goes from the next one clockwise until it reaches the one who posted the big blind. These rules apply exclusively to the first round of betting. If no one raised before him, then he can simply skip the move, since his bet is already the maximum.

This entire stage is called " preflop».

After the bets are finished, the " flop».

Three face-up community cards are laid out on the table. They are available for use by any player. After the cards appear, a second round of betting follows. Its peculiarity is that it can be played without any bets at all.

This is what blinds are for preflop. So that, regardless of the wishes of the players, the bank will always be

So, in addition to the actions listed above, players have two more:

• Bet (bet, bet) - in essence, this is the same increase, but only if it is made on a circle where there have been no bets yet. The minimum bet amount is often equal to the big blind;
• Check (check, skip) - the player simply passes the move, without making bets, but also without discarding cards. This can only be done if no one has promoted him before.

This and the next two rounds of betting can proceed in this form. In this case, players will play a pot formed only from the blinds and chips that called them.

The next stage of the Texas Poker game is “ turn" Another face-up card is placed on the table, followed by a round of betting. This is considered to be the most important stage in the game of Texas Hold'em.

Finally, the ending of the game is called " river" Players see last card hands and make final bets.

After this, if there are at least two players left in the game, a showdown occurs.

It is important to note that everyone you have the right not to show your cards. Beginner players often ignore this feature, but in fact, it can greatly help your opponent in reading your strategy, if one exists.

The combinations are compared and the winner is determined. In Texas Hold'em poker, there are times when the result is a draw.

Combinations in the game Texas Poker

For inexplicable reasons, poker combinations are known even to those people who, in fact, do not know at all what these are combinations, in fact. from poker.

At the initial stage, it is enough for the player to know how cards are made, what features are in each combination. But after consolidating this knowledge, he can move on to studying probabilities, hand strength, behavior at each stage of the game, and so on. Poker Hold'em is a game where there is always something to learn.

As we have already discussed in the structure of the hand, each player has two face-down cards and five face-up cards. Thus, each player, in fact, has seven cards at once to collect a combination. But, it is very important that he can only use five. This must be understood and remembered

It is also worth noting that cards in hand do not have greater power. If, for example, from 5 open cards a strong combination has been formed, which, according to the rules of the game, belongs to each player, and one of them has a card of the same rank in his hand, but of a different suit, this does not mean that he is stronger.

The combination is still equal for everyone.

The same applies to suits. They are not used to determine the strength of a hand in any form of poker.

So, the combinations:

• Kicker is the highest card in your hand. Determines the winner if no player was able to collect a stronger combination;
• Pair – two cards of the same rank;
• Two pairs. If several players received such a combination, then the winner will be determined by the pair with cards of higher rank. So, the owner of pairs of aces and twos will win the one who can collect pairs of kings and queens;
• A set is three cards of the same rank. The names “troika” and “thrips” are quite common. These are not just variations, they differ depending on the method of collection. But, again, this does not affect the strength of the combination in any way;
• Straight – five consecutive cards. Starting with this combination, players begin to make mistakes and get lost more often. Again, it is worth recalling that there can be no more than five cards. Even if you have seven consecutive cards, they will not play any role. Counting is carried out from the oldest. In poker, there is a special straight combination - from Ace to Five, in this case the Ace turns out to be the weakest card.;
• Flush – five cards of the same suit. It is especially important to remember here that the suits themselves are equivalent. If several players hit a flush, the winner will be determined by more strong card as part of a combination. If it matches, they move on to the next one and so on until one player has an advantage;
• Full house – one pair and one set. Here seniority is determined by the set. If it is the same, then the pairs are already compared;
• Four of a kind – four cards of the same rank;
• Straight flush is a compound combination. Five consecutive cards of the same suit;
• Royal flush is the highest straight flush, from ten to ace.

Other varieties

Since there are many types of poker, and the way information is organized on the Internet is far from ideal, novice players are often confused.

To prevent this from happening, remember that the type we considered is called either simply hold’em or Texas hold’em

Omaha Hold'em does not exist. It's simply called Omaha. This is the second most popular type of poker, which also deserves your attention. There are only two changes to the rules, but this dramatically affects the course of the game, strategy, probabilities, results and much more.

Conclusions about Holdem poker

This is actually the most popular variety, so you won't have any trouble learning how to play it and finding places to practice. You can play Texas poker for free in almost every existing poker room. Eat game projects, for virtual chips, if you are not yet ready to risk real money.

It doesn't matter whether you play Texas Hold'em for free or for money - the rules do not change, and the chips are used in any case.

Remember that knowing the rules is just the tip of the iceberg. In order to play well, you need to develop your own strategy, calculate probabilities, learn to read your opponents and practice bluffing. It is impossible to become a perfect poker player. Here you always need to develop and explore new options to develop your own strategy.

One of the most popular types of poker today is Texas Hold'em(Texas Hold'em) . This type of poker is played by the largest number of players and the largest sums of money are played. According to experienced players, this game has the largest number of strategies. However, even despite these factors, the rules of Texas Hold'em are easy to understand.

Many players who start playing poker for the first time understand the rules very quickly, literally in a matter of minutes. Moreover, when playing poker online, software poker rooms calculate many points automatically. So, what are the rules of Texas Hold'em poker?

The purpose of playing Texas poker

The goal, of course, is to defeat your opponents. Poker can be played simply or in tournaments. When playing tournament poker, the goal is to win all tournament chips from all players or collect as many of them as possible and take the top place. And in a game for money, when a hand is won, the player takes the entire amount bet by the players in this hand (bank). The final success is influenced by the number of hands won and the amount in each of them. Moreover, you can win the hand in two cases. Firstly, if you happen to have the strongest combination of cards. Secondly, if you remained in the game and all your other opponents refused to accept your bet and folded.

Progress of the game

The game consists of a large number of hands; there can be from 2 to 10 players at the table. Cards are dealt clockwise and one at a time. In each hand, players deal cards in turn, the next player after the dealer enters the auction. Dealer (button, button, dealer) is in the most advantageous position because he is the last to decide on his bet.A total of seven cards are available during the game, and a combination must be made of five cards.After the start, each participant is given two cards “face down” (face down, other players do not see the cards). The remaining five cards are revealed gradually in the center of the table: first 3 then 1 and then the last 1 card.

The pair of cards dealt is usually called "With pocket cards", each player receives them individually. Actually, it is these cards that make up the so-called “hand” (read, combination) with community cards (5 of them). Community cards are dealt in the following game rounds.

Pre-flop

1. Let's continue to describe the rules of the game of Texas Hold'em. The period of time when individual 2 cards have already been dealt to the participants, but the community cards are still in the deck is called Preflop). Before distribution common cards, 2 players who are behind the dealer make mandatory bets ( Blinds ), so that before the start of trading there is a bank for which there will be a fight.Participants at this stage evaluate how good the cards are to them and must make their first bets or refuse further play (they make a fold - discarding cards, while for those sitting in the blinds the first forced bet is lost).

The rules of Texas poker allow each participant not only to accept the bet that was placed before him, but also to raise it. If a player raises the bet, the remaining players must accept it (this is called a call), or raise (raise), or discard cards (pass) - thereby abandoning the game.

Flop

2. Bets are summed up into one pot, and a new game stage starts - it’s called FLOP. Describing the rules of Texas poker, we will focus on the flop - this is the name for the situation when the first three community cards out of five are revealed on the table. After they appear, the player can engage in composing a winning combination of cards using pocket or community cards. At this stage, a round of betting occurs again, during which you must either agree with the previous bet - call or raise -raise, or reset - fold. The betting level is the same as preflop.

For the attention of the reader concrete example. Pocket cards - Queen and King. The first three community cards were revealed on the table - Queen, six and seven. Thus, the flop brought a combination of Queens. The second round of betting begins, during which you can fold your cards, abandon the game, raise the bet, or accept it.

Turn

3. The next stage, which the rules provide for texas hold'em, called Turn. The fourth card is already revealed on the table; these four community cards are called the turn. After the turn appears on the table, you can, again, refuse to play, accept the bet, or raise the bet. In this case, the minimum rate increases by 2 times.

River

4. The final part of the game is called River– at this time, all five community cards are present on the table and players are invited to go through the last round of bets. The remaining participants open the combination collected during the game and find out who won. The participant who has the strongest combination of cards wins the total pot. The betting level at this stage is the same as on the turn.

Briefly about forced bets (blinds)

An important point that is included in the rules of the game of Hold'em poker is mandatory bets (forced). Anyone who is trying to understand the rules of Texas Hold'em must understand them.

Hold'em is played with the so-called “dealer chip” - in fact, the dealer in the game is determined by it. The player who deals the cards in a given hand. This chip goes in a circle (clockwise) after each game. The dealer himself makes the bet last, which gives him a significant advantage as a player.

Players on the left hand of the dealer make mandatory “blind bets” or blinds before pocket cards are dealt. Players who make “blind bets” are called “blinds”. The player closest to the dealer is called Small Blind, the second player is called Big Blind, respectively.

Now - the Small Blind places half the minimum bet (of those valid at the table), but the Big Blind makes the minimum table bet. So, considering the Texan hold'em rules, let's give a specific example - let's say the minimum bet on the table is $20, respectively:

1.Small Blind bets $10

2. Big Blind – $20.

After the hole cards are dealt (two cards face up to each player), the right to make the first "regular" bet is given to the person sitting to the left of the Big Blind (the player two people from the dealer on the left hand).

Varieties of Texas Poker

In modern Texas poker, there are three main types, which differ in bet limits.

1. No-limit Hold'em (no-limit): the player has the right to make any maximum bets, but not less than the minimum possible. In no-limit poker, $2/$4 implies blinds of $2 and $4. The player can even bet his entire stack at once (all the money with which the player sat at the table). This is the most popular variation of Texas Hold'em, it is the most profitable, but also the most risky. You can lose your entire bank in one hand.

2. Limit Hold'em (limit): the amount of bets is limited by the rules - the player can only raise by the amount of the bet determined by the table limit. For example, for a $2/$4 table you can only raise $2. This type of poker is perfect for beginners.

3. Pot-limit (pot-limit): the maximum bet is limited by the size of the bank. If there is $10 in the pot and the player has a $5 bet, then you can bet $15.

Texas Hold'em is the most popular form of poker in the world. This article is dedicated to introducing you to the rules of this wonderful card game.

Story

According to popular belief, Texas Hold'em poker originated in the state of Texas in the early 1900s. In 1967, it was first introduced in Las Vegas, where its rules were changed so that aces were considered the lowest, rather than the highest, cards. In 1972, the game became the main event in the newly created World Series of Poker. At that time, 8 people took part in the tournament. By 1982 the number of players exceeded a hundred, and by 1991 - 200 people. Hold'em continued to grow in popularity after games began being played online in 1998. And after some time, an event occurred that caused a real boom in Texas hold'em. In 2003 World Series poker was won by an unknown participant named Chris Moneymaker. By 2004, interest in the tournament tripled. People have realized that they can win big money with just a few dollars in their online account.

Today, no-limit Texas hold'em is still the most popular form of poker, although admittedly the word "Texas" is often dropped today. In general, if someone says that they play poker, then most likely they mean this particular type of poker. Most films with game scenes also depict Texas Hold'em, while older films usually show stud or draw. In 1998, the cult film "Rounders" also played a big role in the growth of the popularity of poker, which everyone plays today.

Account management

Like all other variants of the game, each participant starts with a certain number of chips (tokens). These are small round pieces of plastic or clay that are used for betting and scoring. Typically, they can be exchanged for money after completing the game. The goal of Texas Hold'em is to win your opponents' tokens. In a poker tournament, a participant wins when all the chips on the table go to him.

Blind and position

From 2 to 10 players can sit at the poker table, with one of them being the dealer. A special chip is placed near it, which is a plastic disk with the inscription “dealer”. It moves around the table clockwise after each hand, indicating whose turn it is to deal. If the game takes place at home, then the participant with the dealer's chip shuffles and deals the cards, but in a casino this work is performed exclusively by an authorized dealer. The dealer's chip is still used to indicate the difference in the positions of the players at the table.

To create a starting pot, certain participants must place mandatory bets before cards are dealt. Directly to the left of the dealer is the small blind (SB), to the left of which is the big blind (BB). Both participants are required to place bets blindly. In most cases, the BB pays twice as much as the SB, although this may depend on the casino.

To the right of the dealer's chip (BTN) is the cut-off (CO), then the middle position (MP) and the "under the gun" (UTG). Specifically, on a table with 9 or 10 players, the place immediately to the right of the CO may be called hi-jack, and further to the right - lo-jack. The fundamental difference between a table with 6 and 10 players is that the latter will have 3 middle positions and "under the gun", while the former will only have one. Place plays an important role in hold'em as it determines the order of bets. The best position at the table is usually considered BTN, and the worst position is SB or UTG.

Raffle

After all the participants are seated, you can start playing poker! The game is divided into bidding rounds called streets. Each hand of Texas Hold'em is broken down into 4 streets called preflop, flop, turn and river. On each street there is a round of betting. If there is more than one player left at the table by the river, then it is time for “showdown”. All remaining participants show their cards and the one who made the best combination takes the chips or the bank, which is located in the middle of the table.

Round 1: preflop

Before any action is taken, all players are dealt 2 hole cards, starting with the player to the left of the dealer in a clockwise direction. In Texas Hold'em poker, these cards are kept secret and should not be revealed to others. At the time of the hand, the SB and BB must make their mandatory bets. Before any additional cards, a round of bidding is held. The UTG (to the left of the BB) makes the first move and so on around the table clockwise. The BB will be last preflop. Once all bets have been placed (more on this below), players move on to the next street. On each street, as a rule, you can declare a bet, call, raise or fold. However, depending on the situation, not all of these options are possible.

Postflop

The betting order on the flop changes slightly. On each street, SB will be first and BTN will be last. This is why BTN is considered the most profitable position on the table. This player even before his turn he knows the actions of everyone else.

Round 2: flop

Before bets are made, three draw cards, called the flop, are dealt face up to the center of the table. Together with one or two of their own, each player can use them to build a combination of 5 cards. You can check, bet, fold or raise.

Round 3: Turn

After the betting round is completed, an additional community card (turn) is dealt face up and another round of betting is held.

Round 4: river

Finally, the last community card is called the river. This answers the question of how many cards are there in Texas Hold'em. A total of 5 community cards and 2 pocket cards are dealt to each player. Next comes the final round of betting. After this, all remaining participants must show their hole cards. The player with the strongest hand wins the pot.

Bargaining

Below is a list of actions that participants can take during the bidding round.

Bet is the player’s desire to bet some of his chips on the outcome of the hand. Generally, the bet assumes that no one has acted yet on the current street (and therefore cannot be called preflop since the blinds have already been posted). Players must place their chips in the center of the table or bank. When playing online, this is done automatically.

Check - refusal to take any action. The move passes to the next participant to his left. Note that this is the only valid option when there are no bets on the current street (and therefore cannot be executed preflop). If this happens, then the rules of “Texas Hold'em” are limited only to calling, raising or folding.

Call is an action allowed when the previous participant made a bet on the current street. To continue the game, you must put at least as many chips into the bank. For example, if a bet of 5 tokens was made, you must also bet 5. If you do not want to continue with this layout, you should fold, that is, instead of calling or raising, put the cards on the table.

Depending on the actions of the previous player, you can check, bet, call, fold or raise.

Fold - the player’s desire to stop playing after the previous beta. At the same time, he agrees that he no longer participates in the distribution and has no chance of winning. The cards are returned to the dealer unopened.

A raise is possible if the previous player made a bet. It can be increased by putting more chips into the bank. The next player, including the first raiser, must now call, fold, or raise. The round will end only after a call that stops any action, or a fold.

Players can repeatedly raise each other's bets until one of them goes all-in. After this, the next participant chooses only from two options. He can either call or fold.

The rules prohibit increasing the bet more than the player has chips. Texas Hold'em is sometimes portrayed in films as a game in which participants can bet on watches, phones, houses and yachts. In any casino, players can only bet what is on the table. Although a standard bet can also be considered a raise, this term is only used when the previous player has already made a bet and there is a desire to raise it.

Card combinations

Naturally, the above information is useless without understanding how to determine hand strength. Below are all possible poker combinations. Texas Hold'em allows you to take into account combinations of five cards. For example, if we assume that two players have a pair, then the remaining 3 cards or kickers will help determine the winner. In a situation where they are the same, the pot will be divided equally between the winners.

A royal flush is a 10, a jack, a queen, and a king of the same suit. In Texas Hold'em poker, combinations of this kind are extremely rare.

• Straight flush - 5 cards of the same suit in a row. For example, 56789 worms.
• Four of a kind - 4 cards of equal rank. For example, DDDD.
• Full house - 3 cards of the same rank and 2 others. For example, DDD44 or KKKVV.
• Flush - 5 cards of the same suit. For example, 579DK worms.
• Straight - 5 cards in order. For example, 56789, regardless of suit.
• Three of a kind (set) - 3 cards of equal value. For example, KKK75T king or 3 queens). Since all hands consist of five cards, the remaining two are called "kickers". KKK97 loses to KKKT9. This combination is called a “triplet” when it is made up of two community cards, and a “set” if both hole cards are taken into account.
• Two pair - a combination of 2 cards of the same rank with two others. For example, KKDD5 or BB447. The combination is also called a "doper".
• Pair - 2 cards of the same value. For example, 99523, or DD764.

The secret of popularity

So what makes No Limit Hold'em so popular and exciting? Firstly, it is very easy to learn. The rules may seem complicated, but after a few hands you realize that the concept of the game is extremely simple. However, learning to win at Texas Hold'em is difficult. Developing a strong strategy can take a master's entire life.

One thing that sets Texas Hold'em poker apart from other variants of the game is the betting structure. Many varieties set their maximum amount. The Texas Hold'em rules do not provide for such restrictions - each player can risk all his chips at any time. This speeds up the game and makes it more exciting.

And although at first it seems that Texas Hold'em poker strategies are about making the best possible combination, this is not true. After some time, the beginner understands that the bank can only be won by pretending to have good cards. This is called "bluffing". The excitement that a player experiences when he wins big without having a winning combination in his hands attracts many people to this game.

It is also important to remember that the game of Texas Hold'em is only partly about luck. Ultimately it is a matter of skill. Although good players may lose for a long time, they will always win if they have enough experience. Although any hand depends more on luck than on skill, when large quantities games, the best strategists are most likely to make a profit. For experienced players, Texas Hold'em can be a source of income, regardless of whether poker is just a hobby or a profession.

• In Texas Hold'em poker, combinations should be assessed very critically. Typically, only 25% of hands are played. And beginners should limit themselves to only the best 20%.
• You should take advantage of your current position at the table, playing more often in the dealer's place and less often at gunpoint.
• The bet must be correlated with the bank. Instead of counting in chips or money, it is better to focus on a certain percentage of its size. This means that as the bank grows, the rate must also increase.
• Slowrolling should be avoided. This is the practice of delaying the moment of calling on the river when there is clearly a good combination in hands. This tactic of playing on the early streets allows you to mislead your opponents. However, delaying the end of the game on the river, when all actions are completed, is considered bad manners and will make the player an unpopular opponent.
• Partial bets are also not allowed. Texas Hold'em poker on a computer does not have this problem, since the order of actions is limited by the program. If you need to raise the bet, you should declare a raise and place the tokens into the pot in one smooth movement. There is no need to imitate players from some films, when when they call they add chips and immediately raise the bet, repeating the contribution. If you try to do this in a casino, only the first action will be taken into account. This allows you to avoid unethical play when a participant, seeing a reaction to accepting a bet without raising it, changes his decision and announces a raise.
• You can't always open cards. Showing your hand after a fold is made is prohibited by the rules. Texas Hold'em does not allow cards to be revealed, as this affects the decisions of other players. In a casino, such actions may result in a fine. At the end of the game, you are allowed to open the cards, but you need to remember that this is not necessary if no aggressive actions were taken before the end of the game. So if someone bets big on the river and the player calls, then the opponent should open first. If you lose, you don’t have to show your cards to anyone. At the same time, no one has the right to insist on their opening, except in situations where this is agreed in advance. Those players who assume they have the best hand and claim the pot must, of course, always show their cards.
• Conversations during the game that do not relate to it, although they are even practiced professional players, are considered bad manners. You cannot scold or insult your opponents. One of the signs of a true professional is the ability to accept the blows of fate with dignity.

This is the second part of a series of articles on the rules of the game of poker, or rather its most popular variety - no limit texas hold'em(on the Internet it is sometimes called classical or regular poker). Article data on poker rules will be extremely useful for beginners (dummies) in poker.

You can find the first part at the link How to play poker (Texas Hold'em) - Part 1. This article describes in detail the course and sequence of actions at the poker tables.

Texas poker game progress

Each player at the table when playing Texas Hold'em receives two pocket cards (pocket cards are often called one word - “hand”). After the cards are dealt, each player has the opportunity to place a bet or leave the game. Exists 4 betting rounds- preflop, flop, turn and river, which will be discussed in more detail later in this series of articles. Trading rounds also called "street". During betting, 5 community cards are laid out on the table in three stages: first the first three, then one, and then one more. Since these are community cards, they can be used by any player at the table to make poker hand. It turns out that each player has seven cards (2 of his own and 5 common ones), from which he must choose those five cards, the combination of which will give him the strongest possible combination of cards. Depending on the strength of the cards on the table, each player can use one pocket card and 4 community cards, both pocket cards and 3 community cards, or none of the hole cards at all, but only the community cards of the table. Common table cards are used only to make combinations. None of the players can take them, but at the same time, for example, 3 players can use the same common card.

For example. There were 3 players in the hand with absolutely identical cards- . Let's imagine that Player 1 has - , Player 2 has - , and Player 3 has - . General cards – . Thus, each player will take community cards, thereby making identical combinations - two pairs: kings and queens (more details about combinations will be written a little later in this article).

The winner is the one whose combination of five cards turns out to be the best, or the one who can “knock out” other players from the game with the help of bets and will be left alone at the showdown. After each hand is completed, all players discard the cards and they are shuffled, i.e., each hand begins with the distribution of new cards into their hands.

Texas Hold'em (poker) rules

In short, Rules for playing Texas Hold'em look like this (details will be below):

• Two players to the left of the dealer post blinds: a small blind and a big blind.
• Each player receives 2 cards face down;
• A round of betting follows (preflop);
• Three community cards are placed face up on the table in front of all players (flop cards);
• A round of betting follows (flop);
• Another community card is placed face up on the table (the turn card);
• A round of betting (turn) follows.
• The last community card is placed face up on the table (the river card). Thus, there are 5 community cards face down on the table.
• The last round of betting (river) follows.
• If, as a result of trading on the river, more than one person remains in the game, then a showdown follows. Players must use any cards from their two hands and the 5 common multiples to make 5 card hands. The player with the strongest combination takes the pot.

And now more about the rules of playing Texas Hold'em for beginners…

Turn order in the game

Texas Hold'em has its own specific rules for the order of actions of players at the poker table:

• Trading at the table always proceeds clockwise.
• After any player takes one or another action (you will learn about possible actions below in the text from this article), he cannot cancel his decision and the right to move passes to the next player after him (again, clockwise), i.e. .e. to the player sitting to his left.
• In the first round of betting (preflop), the player to the left of the big blind is the first to speak.
• Starting from the second round of betting (i.e. flop, turn and river), betting is always “opened” by the player to the left of the dealer (small blind).
• The bets made in each betting round are added up to a pot (it is often called the word “pot” - from the English Pot - a set of bets), for which there is a fight.
• The betting round ends when all opponents have made equal bets or folded their cards. Then the game moves to the next phase of the game - flop, turn, river or showdown.
• If one of the opponents (let's call him Player A) made a bet and his bet was increased by another opponent (let's call him Player B), then Player A will have another opportunity to take action in this betting round: fold, call the bet, or raise again .
• If one of the players on one of the streets has less money than the opponent’s bet, then it is considered that he went all-in (from the English All-in - all-in). In this case, two banks are created - the main and third-party. Both banks are played separately from each other between those players who participated in their formation. Example: on the flop Player A has $10, Player B and Player C have $15. Pot on flop = $20. Player B bets $15 and gets called by Player B. If Player A also calls this bet, there will be 2 pots: main = money that was already in the pot + players' bets within the money of the player with the least amount of money: in our case - Player A, i.e. $20 + $10 (Player A) + $10 (Player B) + $10 (Player C) = $50. The additional bank is formed from the difference between all bets and the main bank, i.e. additional pot (side bank) = money that was already in the pot + players' bets - main pot. In our case = $20 + $15+ $15 + $10 – $50 = $60 – $50 = $10. Player A will only claim the main pot (i.e., he invested money only in it), and Player B and Player C will claim the main pot and the additional pot. First, the side pot is played between Player B and Player C, and then the main pot is played between Player A, Player B and Player C.
• If more than one player has reached the showdown, then the cards are revealed and the combinations of the players are compared with each other. The player who has the stronger combination takes the pot.
• If only one player reaches the showdown, then he takes the entire pot.
• If two or more players have the same combination strength, the pot is divided equally between these players. (This situation is called sharing - from the English split pot - to divide the bank).

In poker there is rule, according to which the player participates in the game only with the money that he has on his stack ( stack– the number of chips a given specific player at the table). You can only replenish your stack between hands. You cannot take money from the stack - you can only leave the table with this money. As mentioned earlier, if a player runs out of money in the stack during the trading process, he continues to participate in the hand, but does not take part in further trading and thus an additional or side pot (or pots) is formed on the table.

Actions of players at the poker table

Each player, depending on the trading activity, can take one of the following actions:

• Put, or " make a bet"(from English bet) - place a bet;
• Promote, « make a raise"(from the English Raise - raise) - increase the bet - bet more than your opponents bet. In other words, increase the previous bid;
• Reraise, « re-raise"(from the English Reraise) is an action in trading that increases the bet already increased by the previous player.
• Answer, « make a call"or "to call" (from the English Call - to answer) - to bet the same amount as the opponent bet, i.e. call. In other words, it is the action during betting where a player delivers (matches) chips to the size of the previous player's bet;
• Check, make a check, “check”, “check” (English Check - check) - do not increase the bet, leave it “as is”. You can check only when the size of your bet is equal to the size of your opponents' bet, i.e. if in this round of bidding no one raised the bid before you. For example, you are sitting in the big blind, one player called, i.e. called your big blind and everyone else folded. In this case, you can make a check.
• Pass, fold, “fold” (English Fold - fold) - refuse further participation in trading and discard cards. This is an action during one of the betting rounds in which a player deliberately refuses to participate in a given hand by discarding cards. As a rule, a “pass” (“fold”) is made when the player has “weak” cards with a low probability of matching a winning combination. After discarding the cards, the player loses all the chips that he previously bet in this hand;

Bet sizes according to poker rules

In No Limit Texas Hold'em, players can bet any amount during each betting round. However, there is a limit on the minimum bet size. The size of the minimum reraise is calculated using the formula:

Size of previous raise + amount to call

For example, let's say you're playing $1/$2 No Limit Texas Hold'em. There have been no raises before you yet. The minimum raise in this case will be $4 ($2 (which we need to call) + $2 (a raise by the amount of the previous bet before us, in our example this is the value of the big blind).

There is no maximum bet limit. If the bet size is equal to the player's entire stack (stack is the amount of money the player has at the table) - this is called going all-in, or going all-in.

Poker rules for preflop, flop, turn and river. Determining the winner at the showdown

1. Rules for playing preflop poker in No Limit Texas Hold'em

Trading between the players participating in the hand begins immediately after the blinds are set and cards are dealt to the players. Preflop, players place bets based only on their own hole cards. The betting begins with the player immediately to the left of the player in the big blind position. Then the right to make a decision passes to the next players in a clockwise order.

Preflop, a player can perform the following actions:

• Refuse to play your pocket cards and discard the cards, i.e. click on the "Fold" button
• Call the big blind, i.e. click on the “Call” button and look at the actions of other players at the table
• Raise the bet, i.e. press the "Raise" button, i.e. bet more than the size of the big blind. Preflop, the players in the blinds are always the last to make decisions. However, on the remaining streets (betting rounds, i.e. flop, turn and river), they make the first decision.

The question most new players ask is: “Why can’t I check preflop if I don’t want to raise, call or fold?” The answer is simple - the blinds in No Limit Texas Hold'em are considered bets, and rules of playing No Limit Texas Hold'em, you cannot continue trading until you have matched the bets from the players.

Based on preflop trading activity, you can draw conclusions about the strength of your opponents' hands. The main task of the preflop game is to determine the strength of your hand relative to the hands of your opponents. Thus, players with strong starting hands need to play aggressively and raise preflop in order to “knock out” as many opponents with weaker hands as possible directly preflop and prevent them from looking at the flop cards. Aggressive prank of your starting hands preflop will give you an advantage, i.e. initiative. The initiative in Texas Hold'em always remains with the player who raised last preflop.

When all players call or fold their cards, the preflop betting round is completed. If no one bets and all players fold their cards, then the pot (which will consist only of blinds) will be taken by the player in the big blind (denoted as BB). If one of the players makes a bet and no one wants to support it, then this player will take the pot (which will consist of the blinds and his bet). If one of the players makes a bet, and another player calls it, then the preflop betting round will be considered completed and the players remaining in the hand will move on to the next betting round - the flop.

2. Rules for playing poker on the flop in No Limit Texas Hold'em

After the end of the preflop betting round, the players remaining in the hand get the opportunity to see three community cards, i.e. flop cards. A round of betting with three community cards up is called the flop.

The second and subsequent rounds of betting begin with the player in the small blind position. Starting from the flop, the last word in the betting round always belongs to the dealer, i.e. the player on the button.

A player can do the following on the flop:

• Skip the move and do not place a bet (i.e. click on the “Check” button). Postflop (i.e. on the flop, turn and river), each player has the right to do this, as long as none of the opponents has made a bet.
• Place a bet (click on the “Raise” button). In No Limit Texas Hold'em, the player chooses the bet size, but it cannot be less than the big blind. Once one of the players has made a bet on the flop, the others will no longer be allowed to pass. They must either call, bet larger, or fold their cards, refusing to play their hand any further.

After the players call the bets, betting on the flop is completed. All bets made are added to the total pot, and the players remaining in the hand move on to the next round of betting - the turn.

3. Rules for playing poker on the turn in No Limit Texas Hold'em

After the end of the second round of betting (flop), Rules for playing Texas Hold'em, the players remaining in the hand get the opportunity to see another community card - the turn card. A round of betting with four community cards exposed is called the “turn.”

You can also use the fourth community card, the turn card, to make your combination. Players who are still participating in the pot draw conduct another, third, round of betting. Turn Rules the same as on the flop.

Again, all bets made are added to the total pot, and the players remaining in the hand move on to the last round of betting - the river.

4. Rules for playing poker on the river in No Limit Texas Hold'em

After the end of the third round of betting (turn), according to the rules of the game in Texas Hold'em, the players remaining in the hand get the opportunity to see one more (last) community card - the river card. A round of betting with five community cards exposed is called the “river”.

The rules for trading on the river are the same as on the flop and turn.

River is the final, fourth round of betting in No Limit Texas Hold'em. All five community cards are on the table and each player must make one of the combinations using five cards. The player sees a total of seven cards (two “hole cards” and five “community cards” on the table).

After all players have placed their bets, a showdown occurs to determine the winner.

5. Determining the winner of the hand (showdown, showdown - from the English Showdown - revealing cards)

Showdown is the moment of truth when playing No Limit Texas Hold'em (or simply poker). At the showdown, players "reveal" their cards and determine who has the strongest combination of cards (strongest hand).

The player can use two of his own and three community cards lying on the table; the player can also use one of his pocket cards and four of the community cards, or even all five community cards. This does not change the essence of the matter. The main thing is that the final combination must involve exactly five known to the player cards - no more, no less.

The player with the strongest combination wins the hand and takes the pot. If one or more players have equal combinations of cards, then these players divide the pot equally among themselves.

In the case when, when playing No Limit Texas Hold'em, none of the players supported the opponent's bet and everyone folded, the pot is automatically won by the player who bet last, regardless of the strength of his pocket cards, since he is the only player remaining in the hand. In this case, the player has the right not to show his cards, since not a single player supported him and there is no one to compare the strength of his cards with.

It is important to remember that in Hold'em no one suit has an advantage over another.

Once the winner of a given distribution is determined, the next distribution begins. The dealer button moves clockwise to the next player, and the next two players post the blinds and two new hole cards are dealt. That. everything goes back to the preflop stage.

This is the second part of a series of articles on poker rules you can finish. If you would like to continue understanding the rules of poker for beginners, please refer to the third part of this series of articles, Rules of Poker (Texas Hold'em) - Part 3: Poker Combinations

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