Texas Hold 'em Rules

Today, the game of Texas Hold 'em is indeed the most popular poker variation. Many gambling industry insiders typically attribute this immense popularity to the combination of the following four factors: the advent of online poker, the appearance of Texas Hold 'em games in cinema and television, online poker rooms being advertised in all media outlets, and the incredible Chris Moneymaker phenomenon.

The ability of poker fans from all over the globe to play the game inexpensively and anonymously over the Internet has been credited as the main reason why people find Texas Hold 'em such an appealing pastime. Online card rooms both allow players to hone their gaming skills and take part in such celebrated land-based events as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour via smaller tournaments called 'satellites.' Both Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, 2003 and 2004 WSOP champions respectively, qualified by winning such tournaments.

The rules of Texas Hold 'em are fairly simple. Much like other poker games, the objective of Texas Hold 'em is to nab the jackpot. There are two ways to win the pot. Either on showdown time (when the remaining players reveal their hands and establish the strongest one), or by aggressive betting causing a player's opponents to quit the game and abandon their claim to the coveted pot.

Texas Hold 'em is typically played using two mandatory bets, the Small and the Big blinds. A dealer button is also used to indicate the player who serves as the dealer. The dealer button rotates in a clockwise direction after each played hand. The Small Blind is placed by the player to the left of the dealer and is usually worth 50% of the Big Blind. The Big Blind, placed by the player to the left of the Small Blind, is equal to the minimum allowed bet.

The game kicks off with each player receiving two cards face down. These cards are the player's pocket cards. The hand starts with a "pre-flop" betting round. The player seated to the left of the big blind is the one to make the first move. A round of betting takes place until every participating player has either folded, went all-in, or matched the amount placed in the pot by all the other players.

After the pre-flop betting round, the dealer deals the Flop: three cards are placed on the board face up for all active players to share in an attempt to create the strongest hand. The flop is followed by a second betting round. This and all other rounds of betting begin with the player seated to the dealer's left and continue clockwise.

After the flop betting round ends the dealer deals the forth community card called the Turn, followed by a third betting round. A final community card, referred to as the River, is then dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and the showdown.

On the showdown, all the remaining players reveal their best five-card hands. Players must create their best poker hand out of two of their pocket cards and the five community cards. If two or more players share the best hand at the table, then the pot is split equally among all of them. It is important to remember that in Texas Hold 'em only the cards' numerical rank is of importance. Accordingly, suit value is completely disregarded.