Want to know How to Play Texas Hold Em? When it comes down to picking out which casino game showcases the best of what players are all about, you have to pick the poker. Poker is where it’s at; a card game of where players show their best hand to snag the pot that grows and grows each turn. From the folds to the calls, from the bluffs to the faces, poker is a place where people show what they’re all made. Poker is also a place where anything can happen. One minute you’re smiling then the next minute, you’re frowning. It’s an unpredictable game but it brings all fun. That’s the magic of poker for you.

Now, before you go out and about in your own poker journey, you have to at least know what poker you’re playing. For the sake of keeping this guide short and sweet, you’re probably playing the Texas Hold ‘Em Poker. The Texas Hold ‘Em is the most popular variant and the most played. Almost every poker tournament and online casinos with poker use the popular version. There are other types of poker but for now, you’ll be dealing with Texas Hold ‘Em.

Texas Hold ‘Em

Texas Hold ‘Em is a variant of the poker which was popularized in, what else, Texas. Though there is nothing much to see in history about the name, it is agreed that it was Texas, particularly in Robstown, that had made the name for this variant. It has been used as the name for the variant since then. It was introduced in Vegas, the city of casinos and has since been used as the form for games worldwide. Of course there are other variants but Texas Hold ‘Em is already popular so any poker game you might play nowadays is already a Texas Hold ‘Em.

So how does it play? Texas Hold ‘Em plays like this: each player is given two private cards, face down. This is where a player gets to check his initial cards. Next, the dealer deals with five community cards. These “community cards” are cards face up and they are used by each player to compare their private cards. This is also where the players can make a combo to win the pot. From one community card put face up, each player makes a bet, call, fold or raise. After the last player is done, the dealer puts up another community card and then it goes again. If players don’t make any folds, it can go up until the fifth community card has been given. The player who can make the best five-card combination with the private and community cards will win the pot that grows every turn. This is pretty much the gist of the game but if you want to know more about Texas Hold ‘Em’s rules and knacks, read on.

First, there are player positions. Player positions determine what the poker players will do during the game. First is the button. The button is the last player to make the bet before the dealer puts up the next community card. Second are the big blinds and small blinds. The big blind player will usually bet the initial bet for the pot (say that the initial $50). This is added to the pot already. Next is the small blind who must bet half of the big blind. Third are the early players. After the small and big blinds are done, the early players will then make options of fold, check, call, raise or bet.

Big Blind Small Blind

Second is how the game commences. When the player positions are determined, the starting bets begin (small and big blinds). The big blind does what is called “bet”, the time when a player puts a bet for the first time in the round. After the big blind, the small blind bets the half of the initial and  from there, the dealer gives the two private cards face down to each player.  After that, the player after the small blind will choose the options. “Fold” is where the player decides to quit. He believes his hands are nothing to be proud of so he escapes from risking anymore of his chips. “Call” is where the player puts his bet according to the bet of the previous player. So if the previous player’s bet was $4, then it has to be $4. “Raise” is where the player puts double the previous player’s bet. In the previous example, the bet is $4 so if he puts up $8, then he chooses to raise. All the bets made are added to the pot which will be won by the winning player.

More options become available to the players as the game goes on. When a player “Checks” it means he’s sticking to the bet he made to the pot. He doesn’t intend on calling or raising the previous player’s bet. You may also “Re-Raise” to keep the up the edge. This keeps the game going up.

Texas Hold ‘Em has betting rounds and they have names. The first one is the Pre-Flop. This is where players call or raise the initial bet. It’s usually where players find out if they want to put equal bets or want to raise it up a little. This round begins with the player left of the big blind. The second one is called The Flop. This is where three cards are dealt face up. If you still remember, these cards are known as community cards. All players can utilize them with the two private cards they already have in hand. This is where the option of checking is available where they don’t have to raise or call. The third round is The Turn where a fourth card is shown and like the Flop, the same betting sensation ensues. Call, raise, fold or check… it all happens yet again for another round. Finally, the last round is called The River. This is where the 5^th card and like The Flop and The Turn, the round goes on like the previous ones.

Now if by chance there are at least two players remaining after The River, then the phase “The Showdown” begins. In this phase, the two players show their cards and make the combo. The player with the best hand wins the pot. Although it rarely happens, there are times when the two players have identical combos so the pot will be divided accordingly. After all of it is done, the game starts again and so the players make their bets once more. The button, small and big blind positions shift to someone else and the betting rounds commence once again.

This will go on and on and on until all the players have bet their chips. When a player loses all his or her chips, he’s out of the game. When a player beats all of his or her competitors with a few chips left, then they officially win. It’s a tough game but anyone who can last that long is truly a skilled poker player.

When you’re playing Texas Hold ‘Em, you must know the best hand combos to get. Since you don’t control what cards go to you, it’s a matter of chance and luck. Sometimes, you won’t get much of the cool cards you want so it’s best to know your hands before you commence the betting options.

 Rules of Texas Hold Em

Although these are the rules of Texas Hold ‘Em, some Hold ‘Em games use slightly modified rules. There are some games where Ante is introduced. Ante means forced bet and it’s where all players must make a contribution to the pot right away. Think of it as a pre-big blind. This is not used in most poker games but it is introduced in tournament matches and in some games at a later time. In other games, they sometimes modify on how big blinds and small blinds are done. You may sometimes encounter big blinds and small blinds have the same amount of bets altogether. And sometimes, the blinds can also be fixed. Sometimes, the big blind and small blind amounts will remain the same throughout the whole game.

So that’s how you play Texas Hold ‘Em. From the betting rounds and options to the best hand combos, Texas Hold ‘Em really puts poker on the map. It’s a game of fierce competition and immense luck. You can see just how tough it can be. You’ll see the faces, the motions, the cards and everything. Texas Hold ‘Em is something no rookie should get into lightly. You have to know that the going gets tough as each betting round goes on and once you start fighting the last few players, this is where the true battle begins. Now you have knowledge of playing the game so go ahead and have some fun. You think you can make the best hand in the world, Full House, to beat all the players for the eye-popping pot? Go play and find out for yourself. You might just be lucky enough to get it.