Road To Texas

Here are all the facts to find your way in a Texas Hold'em game…

52 Cards, a Green felt, and Chips

Let's start at the beginning: Texas Hold'em is played with a standard 52-card deck, without joker. Each player combines his two-card hand – private to him – with the five community cards dealt step by step at the center of the table. The goal is to make the best five-card hand with the seven available cards. Both private cards can be used, or only one, or even none in certain cases.

Each player have chips of various denominations, generally corresponding to their equivalent in money. All the chips a player owns are called his « stack ». It is strictly necessary to bet a part of (or all) one's chips to contest a pot, the goal being to win the wagers of the other players. You will win the main pot if you show a better poker hand than those of the other players (see below)… or if you manage - through skillful betting - to make your opponents believe you have the best hand : this is called « bluffing ».

Several forms of Texas Holdem exist, but the most exciting and the most spectacular, the one you can see on TV almost everyday is No Limit Hold'em. The « No Limit » aspect of the game means that every player can bet all his chips any time, by going "ALL-IN". Often referred to as the "Cadillac of poker", it only takes a few minutes to learn Texas Holdem, but years – a lifetime ? – to master…

From A straight Flush To just A Pair...

Here are all the possible poker hands in Texas Holdem, from the strongest to the weakest:

1. Straight Flush 

Five cards of the same suit (spades, hearts, diamonds or clubs), in sequence. For instance, 4-5-6-7-8 of hearts.

A straight flush whose higher card is an ace is called a "royal flush".

Needless to say, this is a rare thing…

2. Four of a Kind 

Four cards of the same rank. Also called "quads". Four aces is the strongest four of a kind, and four deuces the lowest.

3. Full House

Three cards of the same rank plus two other cards of same rank, that is, "three of a kind" combined a pair. Full houses are ranked by the strength of the set. Eg. : K-K-K-3-3 beats Q-Q-Q-A-A.

4. Flush 

Five cards of the same suit (spades, hearts, diamonds or clubs), not in sequence. Flushes are sorted according to their highest card, or the following one in case of tie, and so on.

Eg.: A-J-8-5-3 of diamonds beats A-9-8-5-3 of spades.

 There is no difference in value between suits, but beware, hearts and diamonds are not of the same suit, neither are spades and clubs !

 
5. Straight 

Five cards in sequence, not of the same suit.

Eg.: 6-7-8-9-T. Straights are ranked by the strength of their highest card. Ace can be used both as a low and a high card: it's the strongest card in A-K-Q-J-T, but the lowest in A-2-3-4-5.

6. Three of a Kind 

Three cards of the same rank. Also called a "set".

7. Two Pairs 

K-K-7-7-2. If two players both have two pairs, the best pair determines the strongest hand. Therefore, A-A-6-6 beats Q-Q-J-J.

8. a Pair 

Two cards of the same rank (and three other cards). The pair of aces is the strongest, and the pair of deuce the lowest.

 

Don't forget that your winnings are not always in relation with the strength of your combination in the chart. All is relative: you can lose with four of a kind and win with a mere pair. And winning 1000 in chips with three of a kind is as good as winning 1000 with a straight flush. And we're not even talking about winning a monster pot with just Ace-high...

The Dealer And The "Button"

In private games, each player deals in turn. but in cardrooms and casinos, there is always a professional dealer (on the Internet, the program deals the cards). A special disc, called the "button", indicates who is the "virtual dealer" in the current hand. The button moves clockwise around the table. When you are on the button, you act last (except before the flop). This is a big advantage. Your strategy will thus vary according to your position relative to the button. You will be more vulnerable if you are in early position, or in the blinds. You will soon realize that, and experience will help you understand how to mix aggression and prudence depending on where you are.

In The Blinds

Before the cards are dealt, the two players sitting on the immediate left of the dealer put "forced bets" called the "blinds". These forced bets create a pot before the hand begins. The player on the immediate left of the dealer pays the small blind, and the next player on his left pays the big blind. The amount they must pay is fixed in ring games, but it increases regularly in tournaments. This is called the "blinds structure".

The Hand Can Begin…

• Once the blinds are paid ("posted"), the dealer gives two cards face down to each player. This is their starting hand.
• The betting round begins: the first player to act is the one on the left of the big blind. He has three options: he can wager the same amount as the big blind (call), raise, or fold. Any raise must be at least equal to the last bet/raise (here, the big blind is the last bet), and can be up to all of the player's chips: he is then "all in !"
• Each player will act in turn, from the right to the left (clockwise). If he wants to contest the pot, he must wager at least the same amount as the last bet or raise. He says "call". He can also raise, or fold. In this case, he will not play in the hand anymore, and gives his cards back, face down, to the dealer.
• This first betting round ends when the largest bet or raise has been equaled, and the other players have folded.
• If a player bets and nobody calls, he wins the pot and the hand is over.

The Flop

• During the first betting round, each player bets according to his evaluation of his hand, and this creates a pot before the flop is dealt.
• The dealer (after "burning" the first card of the deck, to prevent cheating), deals the flop: three cards, face up, at the center of the table. These three community cards, depending on how well they work with your two "hole cards", enable you to reassess your ambition.
• The second betting round proceeds in a similar way, each player being able to bet, raise or fold.
• The first player to act is now the one on the immediate left of the dealer (or the next player, if he has folded).
• As long as no one bets, a player can "check", which means he doesn't bet but stays in the hand and keeps the option to bet or fold later, after the other players have acted. Sometimes everybody checks, or the betting can make one or several players to fold. The hand can still end if a player bets and nobody calls.

The Turn

Once the second betting round is over, the dealer burns the card at the top of the deck, and puts the next card face up on the table. This card is called "the turn". Four cards are now visible by every player and a third betting round begins. Again, the player on the left of the dealer is the first to act. As in the previous betting round, the hand can end with a bet that nobody calls. It goes on if everybody checks or if several players bet…

The River

• a player bets and the players still in the pot fold. The player who bet wins the pot without showing his hand.
• everybody checks. The players show their hand, and the best one wins the pot.
• a player bets, and one or more players call.

The Showdown: Who Wins ?