How do you play Texas Hold’em?

Introduction

Although in theory you could play Hold'em with as many people as can be dealt a two-card hand from the deck, it is standard to play with either 9 or 10 players as a maximum for one table, with 'heads up' being between just two players, and 'short-handed' tables normally seating six. On Black Belt Poker, a 'full ring' game seats 10 maximum, and a 'short-handed' one seats 6.

The action (betting) starts with the two 'blinds,' or compulsory bets (one small, posted by the player closest clockwise to the dealer, and a larger one, posted by the player one position on clockwise from the small blind). The dealer is represented by a marker or 'dealer button' which moves clockwise one seat before each new hand is dealt. These compulsory bets therefore move around with the deal.

Each player is then dealt two down, or 'hole' cards. These remain hidden from the other players unless a hand reaches the end of the betting rounds, or the 'showdown.'

First Betting Round

After the players receive their hole cards there is a round of betting which moves clockwise from the big blind. If a player wishes to play the hand - and this goes for all betting rounds - he must at least match (call) the largest bet made so far. The options to raise or fold are also there.

N.B. In limit Hold'em, betting is made in fixed increments. For example, in a $5/$10 limit game, bets must be made in $5 increments on the first two betting rounds, and $10 increments on the second two. In pot limit Hold'em, the maximum raise which can be made is the size of the pot as it stands after any outstanding bets have been matched (click here for an example), and in no-limit Hold'em, a raise has no upper limit except the total of a player's chips.

Second Betting Round

Once all players remaining have matched all bets, three communal cards are dealt face up - the 'flop.'

When the flop is out, betting restarts with the player nearest, clockwise, to the button. He now has the option to make a bet or check, passing the action on to the next player. If a bet is made, all players must match it to move on to the 'turn', or fourth communal card. If all players still in the hand check, then they get a 'free card.' This goes for any betting round except for the very first one (pre-flop) as the blinds are in there which much be matched.

Third Betting Round

With the fourth card dealt up, the players remaining in the hand may again check or bet. Once this round is complete, the final card, or 'river card' is dealt.

Fourth Betting Round

Now all five community cards are up, there is a final chance to bet, and if there is still more than one player left in the hand, the cards are turned over and the winner determined. Each player uses any combination of the community cards and their own hole cards to make their best five-card poker hand. If the community cards, for example, come down T J Q K A (no flush possible), then all remaining players automatically have a straight and are said to be 'playing the board' and the pot will be split equally between them.

Of course, not all hands reach the river - if someone makes a bet with no callers, he 'takes it down,' receiving the pot uncontested, and only shows his hand if he feels like it.

Only the best five-card hand which each player can make is taken into account, e.g. one player holds A 6, another holds A 2 on a board of A K T 7 3. These players tie and split the pot, as both of their best five-card hands end up being A A K T 7.

All-in

In any version of the game, a player has the option of going all-in when he wishes to call a bet but cannot fully match it, or wishes to bet the full amount of his remaining chips. He will remain in the hand until showdown but any further action will create a 'side pot' which can only be won by the players involved who have matched the full amount of all bets.

When playing the no-limit version of Texas Hold'em, a player may bet or raise any amount he wishes at any time while in the hand, up to the full amount of chips he has in front of him. If he doesn't have enough chips to fully match a previous bet, or bets his entire stack, he is 'all-in' and can no longer actively participate in the hand - he just has to wait until showdown when his hand will be compared against all remaining players'.

What is the difference between tournament poker and cash or ‘ring’ games?

The main difference between cash games and tournaments is that in tournament poker the blinds (compulsory bets made by the two players clockwise from the dealer button) increase at regular intervals, and play proceeds until one player has amassed all the chips. Tournament chips have no cash value, and the last player standing wins the tournament, but prize money is usually awarded to around 10% of the field, in gradually increasing amounts.

There are two types of tournament - 'freezeout' and 'rebuy' (usually marked 'R/A' in the Black Belt Poker lobby). In freezeout tournaments, all entrants pay to enter, and are given equal stacks of chips (on Black Belt Poker usually 1,500 to 3,000) to play with. When a player loses his last chip, he's out of the tournament. In a rebuy tournament, a period of usually one hour will take place at the start of the tournament, during which all players have the option to rebuy when they either lose all of their chips, or are at the exact level of their starting stack. Usually the number of rebuys is not capped, and players can make as many as they want to. At the end of the rebuy period, players are also usually offered an 'add-on,' or final rebuy, regardless of their chip stack. The tournament is then played as a freezeout.

In a cash game the blinds remain the same, and chips have actual cash value and can be cashed out at any time. In effect, players can get up whenever they like from a cash game, but if they leave a tournament while still in it there's no refund and chips are just 'blinded off,' or eroded gradually as the blinds come round until the player is out. Cash tables can be joined with any amount of money between the minimum and maximum, which are specified when the table is opened. Players can also buy back in to a cash game for any amount between the min and max if they lose their chips at any time.