Category: Texas Holdem is one of those poker games that is simple – but not easy. The official rules of Texas Hold’em are simple to learn while the advanced strategies equal any sport for complexity. You can get into the game if you know what beats what in poker and how to bet.
Then the fun really starts as you see and play the strategy side of the game. The winner is the high hand, so you have to protect your good cards and hope to have more time to draw on bad cards.
Meanwhile the other players are trying to do the same. Players to the left of the dealer begin with the small blinds or bets, usually a dollar each and moving around the table to the big blinds.
Based on what you have in the two hole cards or face down cards, each player has three choices: call the bet by matching it, raising the bet with a higher amount or fold and leave the game.
Going clockwise around the table, each player has to make one of these three decisions. Next, the community cards are dealt to the remaining players. The “flop” the first three cards is dealt, the dealer burns a card, and then deals three cards face up.
Going around the table again, the players can bet, call, or fold. Next, the dealer gives each player another card called the “turn” card and the next betting round proceeds. Then the last card is dealt called the “river” and the final betting round is complete.
If all but one-player folds, the last player gets the pot. If two or more players are still in after the “river,” then they must all turn their cards face up. The player with the highest hand wins the pot.
It is possible for two players to have different cards but end up with the same value in their hands. In that case, one more card is dealt to each player. That’s called the “kicker” card.
If both kickers are both lower than cards from the hands showing, then the players split the pot. Otherwise, the player who has the highest kicker card gets to collect the pot.
What is the big winner in a Texas Holdem game of poker?
A Royal Flush with Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 in the same suit takes the money every time. Next in order for winning is Straight Flush with all the cards in sequential order and of the same suit.
Four of a Kind comes next and beats a Full House, which is a pair plus three of a kind. An ordinary Flush is next with five cards in the same suit – even if they are not in numerical order.
After that, the winner is a Straight of five sequential cards, not of the same suit. Following these are pairs and three of a kind. If you want to play Texas Hold ‘em, spend time memorizing this order of winners so you do not accidentally throw away the wrong cards.
