Texas Hold ‘Em

The rules of this game are very easy to learn and understand. (The following article assumes that you are at a full table of 10 players). After each round of dealing, the “button” is passed from player to player to indicate who the dealer would be if the house didn’t provide one. This is done so that the “dealer” knows its his/her turn to go last. This knowledge helps a lot in poker, because you are given the opportunity to gauge the other players’ hands by how they bet and you can make a better decision on whether to stay in or fold.

As each hand begins, the player to the left of the “Button” is forced to make a bet that is ½ of the small bet and this player is called the “Small Blind”. The player to the left of the Small Blind is known as the “Big Blind and is forced to make a bet equal to one small bet. After the blinds are posted, each person is dealt two face-down cards. The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the Big Blind who has one of three options : fold, bet one small bet or raise to two small bets. This trend continues clockwise around the table as in other forms of poker.

Once this is concluded, the “Flop” (three face-up community cards) is dealt and another round of betting similar to the one described above except that the Small Blind must bet first and the player “On The Button” gets to go last. The “Turn” card is then dealt and another betting round begins as described before. Finally, the “River” card is dealt and a last betting round is conducted and then the winning hand is declared by the house dealer.