A Guide to Playing Poker, the Rules of Texas Hold'em

Welcome to the UK Poker Buddies Guide to playing Texas Hold'em, if you don't know how to play, it's time you did, so get reading...

Poker is a wonderful card game that is popular the world over. It is comprised of two key elements; skill and chance. Make sure you know the rules and the odds before you play and practice before you start betting real money.

Poker can be played for fun or for money but in essence it's a card game where the aim is to win money or chips by having the best hand at the end of the game. You might also find our expert tips useful if you want to progress your game.

There are many variations of the game of poker but the most common and most popular is "Texas hold'em". The rules of Texas hold'em are outlined below. If you want to know more about other types of poker clcik the previous link. We have also reasearched and written a brief history of poker if you fancy finding out more about the roots of the game.

Know and understand these terms:

• Bet: place a bet using your chips. The value of the chips should be decided before the game!
• Blinds: bets placed by the two players on the left of the dealer before the cards are dealt.
• Fold: you don't like your cards and don't want to bluff - you will take no further part in the game.
• Check: stay in the game but do not add a bet.
• Call: match previous peoples' bet(s)
• Raise: to bet more after someone has already bet - everybody else must call your bet to stay in the game - or they must fold.

1. Before the cards are dealt

In Texas hold'em each player takes his turn to deal. The two players to the left of the dealer put in forced bets, called "blinds". The player directly to the dealer's left must put in the "small blind" and the player to their left must put in the "big blind", which should be twice the size of the small blind.

2. Dealing the cards

The dealer deals one card face down to each player in turn, starting with the player to his or her right. A second card is then dealt to each player, again face down. The cards in your hands are known as the "hole cards".

3. The cards are on the table

Once the cards have been dealt there are four distinct parts to the poker game of Texas holdem. These are known as; Hole Cards, The Flop, The Turn and The River, respectively.

4. The game is structured as follows:

1. Hole Cards. After the blinds have been put out, each player is dealt two hole cards, face down.



A round of bets then ensues, each player, starting with the player to the left of the big blind, has the opportunity to make a bet. You don't have to place a bet at this time, you can choose to fold and throw your cards away, removing you from play. Your second option is to call the size of any bet already posted. Your third option can be to raise, which means you must put out at least two times the size of any bets already posted. A final option if you are in the big blind and there have been no raises in front of you is to simply check and see the flop for free.

2. The Flop. Three cards are then dealt face up on the table.



A round of betting then ensues which is very similar to the first round of betting, except that now the player directly to the dealer's left is always the first player to act and they can choose whether to check (pass) or make a bet.

3. The Turn. A fourth card is dealt to the table.



Round of bets, see above.

4. The River. Finally, a fifth card is dealt to the table.



Final round of bets.

Who Wins in Hold'em?

The five cards on the table are community cards. Your hand is formed by taking the best poker hand you can by using any five out of the seven cards (five community + two hole cards). Remember, all the players have access to the community cards whereas you are the only person who can use your hole cards.

So you know how to play poker now?! Hopefully we'll see you at a poker table somewhere in the UK soon, if not perhaps online :)