Texas Holdem, How to Play & Official Game Rules
Texas Hold'em, commonly referred to simply as
'Holdem' or Hold em, has taken over as the people's favorite.
It
is a fast action game that places a great deal of
emphasis on the starting cards.
Each player takes a turn as dealer, with the button
moving one player to the left each hand.
How
the Game Plays Out:
Betting
There are 4 rounds of betting in Hold'em.
Each bet and raise during
the first 2 rounds of betting is set at the lower
limit of the stakes structure and each bet and raise during
the last two rounds of betting is set at the higher
limit of the stakes structure. In a $5/$10
game, all bets and raises are $5 for the first 2 rounds
and $10 for the final 2 rounds.
The maximum number of bets per player during any betting round is four. This would consist of
a
bet, a raise, a re-raise, and a cap (final raise). Once the pot is capped,
other players only have the options of calling or folding.
Button
and Blinds
A dealer button (like a chip with a D in it) is
used to indicate the dealer of
each hand.
After each hand has finished, the button moves to
the left to the next player. The player to the
left of the button is required to post a small blind
prior to receiving his pocket cards. The small blind is
equal to half the lower limit bet rounded down to the
nearest dollar. The player to the left of the small
blind is required to post the big blind prior to
receiving his pockets. All other players get to
see their pocket cards before deciding to put money in
the pot. The big blind
is equal to the lower limit bet.
Both the small and the big
blinds are considered live bets and therefore have the
option of checking, calling, raising or folding when
the betting action comes back around to their
position. After the flop and after each subsequent
betting round, the first player to the left of the
button is first to act.
When
a player first joins at a table, he will
be required to post the equivalent of the big blind or
sit out and wait for the big blind to come to him.
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