Texas hold 'em

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Texas hold 'em (or simply hold 'em or holdem) is the most popular of the community card poker games. It is the most popular poker variant played in casinos in the western United States, and its no-limit form is used in the final event of the World Series of Poker, widely recognized as the world championship of the game. It is commonly played in the rest of the world as well, but Seven-card stud and other local games may be more popular in some places. Although it can theoretically be played by up to 23 players, it is generally played by between 2 and 10 players. It is one of the most positional of all poker variants, since the order of betting is fixed.

Table of contents

1 Rules

2 Examples

3 Basic Strategy

3.1 Pre-flop
3.2 After the flop

4 Bibliography

Rules

The descriptions below assume that you are familiar with the general game play of poker, and with poker hands. They also make no assumptions about what Betting structure is used. In casino play, it is common to use a Fixed limit and two Blinds, one for half of the first-round betting limit and one for a full bet. The limit for the third and fourth betting rounds is generally double that of the first two rounds. It is also not uncommon for the fourth bet to be larger still, and for the big blind to be less than the normal first-round bet, in which case it is treated the same way a sub-minimum Bring-in is treated in stud poker. Antes may be used instead of or in addition to blinds. The game also plays very well at No limit, and many Tournaments (including the above mentioned World Series championship event) are played that way.

Play begins with each player being dealt two cards face down. These are the only cards each player will receive individually, and they will not be revealed until showdown, making Texas hold'em a Closed poker game. A first "pre-flop" betting round now happens, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind (or the player to the left of dealer, if no blinds are used). Now the dealer deals a burn card, followed by three face-up Community cards called the Flop, followed by a second betting round. This and all subsequent betting rounds begin with the player to the dealer's left. After this round, a burn card and single community card called the Turn (or Fourth Street) are dealt, followed by a third betting round. Finally, a burn and a single community card called the River (or Fifth Street) are dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and Showdown if necessary.

On showdown, each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the seven cards comprising his two and the Board (the five community cards). A player may use both of his own two downcards, only one, or none at all to form his final five-card hand. If the best five-card hand he can make is to play the five community cards, then he is said to be playing the board, and is entitled to split the pot with others playing the board if no one can play a better hand. It is common for players to have closely-valued hands. In particular, Kickers often are needed to break ties (but one must be careful not to break the only-five-cards rule from Poker hand), straights often split the pot, and multiple flushes may occur (where the ranks of the cards in each flush must be counted carefully to determine a winner).

Examples

Here's a sample final showdown:

Board
4♣ K♠ 4♥ 8♠ 7♠
Alice
5♦ 6♦ Bob
A♣ 4♦ Carol
A♠ 9♠ Ted
K♥ K♦

Alice's best five-card hand is 8♠ 7♠ 6♦ 5♦ 4♥, making an 8-high straight. The best hand Bob can play is 4♣ 4♥ 4♦ A♣ K♠, for three 4s with A and K kickers. Carol can play A♠ K♠ 9♠ 8♠ 7♠ for an A-high flush. Finally, Ted can play K♠ K♥ K♦ 4♣ 4♥, for a full house, which wins.

Here's a sample deal. The players' individual hands will not be revealed until showdown, to give a better sense of what happens during play. Bob, to the dealer's left, posts a blind of $1, and Carol blinds $2. Alice deals two cards face down to each player, beginning with Bob and ending with herself. Ted must act first because he is the first player after the big blind. He cannot check, since the $2 blinds plays as a bet, so he folds. Alice calls the $2. Bob puts an additional $1 with his $1 small blind to call the $2 total. Carol's blind is "live" (see Blind (poker)), so she has the right to raise here, but she checks her option instead, ending the first betting round.

Alice now burns a card and deals the "flop" of three face-up community cards, 9♣ K♣ 3♥. On this round as on all subsequent, Bob begins the betting. He checks, Carol opens for $2, and Alice raises another $2, making the total bet now facing Bob $4. He calls. Carol calls, putting in an additional $2. Alice now burns and deals the "turn" card face up. It is the 5♠. Bob checks, Carol checks, and Alice checks, ending the round. After burning, Alice deals the final "river" card of the 9♦, making the final board 9♣ K♣ 3♥ 5♠ 9♦. Bob bets $4, Carol calls, and Alice folds (Alice's holding was A♣ 7♣; she was hoping the river card would be a club to make her a flush). Bob shows his hand of Q♠ 9♥, so the best five-card hand he can make is 9♣ 9♦ 9♥ K♣ Q♠, for three 9s, K and Q kickers. Carol shows her cards of K♠ J♥, making her final hand K♣ K♠ 9♣ 9♦ J♥ for two pair, Ks and 9s, with a J kicker. Bob wins the pot.

Here's another situation that illustrates the importance of breaking ties with kickers and card ranks, and use of the five-card rule. After the first three rounds, the board and players' hands look like this (though the players don't actually know the other players' cards):

Board (after three rounds)
8♠ Q♣ 8♥ 4♣
Alice
T♣ 9♣ (T = 10) Bob
K♥ Q♠ Carol
Q♥ 10♦ Ted
J♣ 2♣

At the moment, Bob is in the lead with a hand of Q♠ Q♣ 8♠ 8♥ K♥, making two pair, Qs and 8s, with a K kicker. This just beats Carol's hand of Q♥ Q♣ 8♠ 8♥ T♦ by virtue of his kicker. Both Alice and Ted are hoping the final card is a club, which will make them both a flush, but Ted would have the higher flush and win if that happens. For example, if the final card was the 7♣, Ted's flush would be Q-J-7-4-2, while Alice's would be Q-T-9-7-4. Alice could still win, though, if the final card were the J♦, as that would give her a Q-high straight. On this deal, however, the final card was the A♠, which didn't help either of them. Bob and Carol still each have two pair, but notice what happened: both of them are now entitled to play the final A as their fifth card, making their hands both two pair, Qs and 8s, with an A kicker. Bob's K no longer plays, because the A on the board plays as the fifth card in both hands, and they can't play six cards. They therefore split the pot.

Basic Strategy

Poker strategy is highly complex --- an aspiring player would be wise to buy a book on poker strategy before playing in a casino. Nevertheless, some of the basic factors that influence good play can easily be explained. One of the most significant considerations is the number of other players at the table: in a large game with 9 or 10 other opponents, you need to have a strong hand to win the pot, so you should fold most hands before seeing the flop. In a smaller, "short-handed" game you can afford to play more hands, since you are facing fewer opponents. Other important factors:

the style of play of your opponents: how often they raise, how inclined they are to call, and so on
your position in the hand. The player in the "dealer" position is always the last player to act in every betting round. Therefore, that player has the most information about the other players, and is in the best position. The earlier the position you are in, the greater your disadvantage. Therefore, you should be inclined to play more hands in late position, and fewer hands in early position.
your "table image": how other players at the table perceive your play alters the way they play. If they think are you a "tight" player who only plays premium hands, they will be less inclined to call your raises; if they think you are an aggressive player who frequently raises with mediocre hands, they will be more inclined to call. Good poker players are able to vary their style in play to take advantage of the present situation and to make their play less predictable.

Pre-flop

Top ten starting hands, in descending order: AA; KK; QQ; AK suited; AQ suited; JJ; KQ suited; AJ suited; KJ suited; AKo.
High Pocket Pairs: Pairs from Aces to Tens are always a good starting hand, you have the chance to improve on them, and even if the board doesn't help, you can still win with the highest pair.
Middle Pocket Pairs: Without improvement, a middle or small pocket pair is a weak hand in a full game. The usual strategy is to try to see the flop cheaply with a hand like this --- if you "flop a set" (hit a third card of the same rank on the flop), you now have a very strong hand. If you miss the flop, fold. Since the odds of flopping a set are about 7.5:1 (or 12%), try to avoid calling too many bets pre-flop, since you will be folding most of the time on the flop.
High Cards: Two unsuited high cards should usually be played at least to the flop. The chances are that if you flop a pair you will have the best pair on the table. Suited high cards should be played more often, as a high card flush is now possible.
Suited: If your two cards are suited, don't overrate them. Suited connectors, such as 9♥ 8♥, are good drawing hands: they have a chance to make both a straight and a flush.
Other: If you have nothing, play to see the flop if the bets are cheap, if you can afford them. A seven and a two or a three, unsuited are considered the worst pre-flop hands, so folding on them is advised.

After the flop

Bet or call most of your drawing hands, if you have a four card flush or four card straight.
If you don't have a drawing hand after the flop, fold.
If the flop goes against your high pairs, and shows possible flush or straight, fold, especially if there is heavy betting.
When you hit a flush or straight, be aware of the possibilities of other players having the same hand but higher. If there is heavy betting, it is probable that someone else has hit it as well.
If you have 2 pair, or 3 of a kind, and after the flop, and there are two suited cards in the flop, bet to knock a player off a flush draw, the same is true for connector cards (possibly making a straight) the goal being to keep players from seeing cards that may help them and not you.

See also: Poker, Poker Jargon, Community card poker, Big Slick