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How to Play Texas Hold'em
I large percentage of us have lived through cabbage patch kids, rubik's cube, troll dolls, WWF Wrestling, the Carter administration and a ton of other fads that seemed like a good idea at the time, but eventually proved to be nothing more than silly flights of fancy. Texas Hold'em doesn't seem to fit into this list. There is no evidence that it will simply melt away into pop culture history, and disappear. In other words, resistance is futile.
One of the reasons that Texas Hold'em is so popular is that anybody can play it. The rules are easy to learn, a deck of cards can be bought for under a dollar, and most of us have more than two friends to entice into a game.
Even the rules are easy to learn, the strategy can be quite complicated and nuanced. Everyone starts at the beginning though, so before you can learn the subtleties of the game, the rules must first be explained.
The Blinds
Before the deal happens, the blinds start off the pot. The Blinds are forced bets that players must make before the cards are dealt. To figure out exactly which players will be posting the blinds, we must first identify where the dealer button is.
The "Dealer Button" is a flat disk that travels around the table, from player to player in a clockwise direction. It is moved to the next player at the completion of each hand. This disk indicates the player who the dealer is (if there is a house dealer, the "Dealer Button" indicates who is symbolically the dealer).
The player seated directly to the left of the person with dealer button is called the "Little Blind'. The "Little Blind" posts the first of two forced bets. The amount of money that this player must post is traditionally half of the table limit. So if the limit for the table is $10, than the little blind must post a $5 bet.
The person who occupies the seat directly to the left of the "Little Blind" is called the "Big Blind". The "Big Blind" posts a bet that is traditionally twice the size of the bet posted by the Little Blind. In the case of the example above where the Little Blind posted a $5 bet, the Big Blind would than offer up a $10 bet.
In many games, a person who joins a game in progress must post the "Big Blind", regardless of their seat position.
The Deal
The game begins with each player being dealt two cards. These are your "Hole Cards". These cards are dealt face down to each player, and no other player is entitled to see these cards. Once these cards are dealt, there is a round of betting. This round is referred to as the "Pre-Flop" betting round. Fundamentally, it is referred to in this way because it happens before "The Flop".
The Flop
"The Flop" is when the first 3 community cards are laid face up in the center of the table. Once the flop has happened, there will be another round of betting. The Flop is followed by an event called "The Turn".
The Turn
"The Turn" is the fourth card dealt face up in the middle of the table. "The Turn" is followed by the third round of betting.
The River
"The River" is the fifth and last card dealt face up in the middle of the table. The River is followed by the fourth and final round of betting.
The Showdown
Any active players who are still playing at the end of the fourth round of betting participates in the showdown. The showdown is when the remaining players show their cards and determine who has won the hand. The winner is the player who has made the best five card poker hand using a combination of their "Hole Cards" with the five "Community Cards". Unlike Omaha, there is no rule that says how many of your Hole Cards that you must use. You may use both, one, or none (if the best hand possible for you is made by the five cards on the table).
Now that you know how to play Texas Hold'em, go join the herd and enjoy yourself!
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