Community Card Poker Games

Texas Holdem Poker

These are the Texas Holdem Poker rules.  Texas Holdem Poker is the most popular community card poker game and a favorite for poker tournaments around the world.  The rules for Texas Holdem Poker take a little time to learn but you will get the hang of it before long. 

In Texas Holdem Poker, each player is dealt two private cards, after which there is a poker betting round.  Then three community cards are dealt face up (in no particular order or pattern), followed by a second poker betting round.  A fourth community card is followed by a third betting round, a fifth community card and the fourth and final poker betting round.

At showdown, each Texas Holdem Poker player plays the best five-card poker hand he can make using any five cards among the two in his hand and the five on the board. 

Texas Holdem poker does not play well high-low split - the best high-low community card game is probably Omaha Poker.  Texas Holdem Poker does play very well at no limit, and in fact the final game of the World Series of Poker, the poker tournament generally considered to be the world championship of the game of poker, is a no limit Texas Holdem Poker Championship Tournament.

Texas Holdem Poker is generally played with 2 to 10 players, but can be played with more (theoretically 23, but beyond 12 poker players the size of the table is the limiting factor).  Texas Holdem Poker is a very positional game, since poker betting rounds all begin at the dealer's left.

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 poker betting structure is used.  In casino Texas Holdem Poker play, it is common to use a fixed limit and two blinds, one for half of the first-round poker betting limit and one for a full bet.  The limit for the third and fourth poker betting rounds is generally double that of the first two poker betting rounds.  It is also not uncommon for the fourth bet to be larger still.  An ante may be used instead of or in addition to blinds.  Texas Holdem Poker also plays very well at no limit, and many poker tournaments (including the World Series of Poker Championship event) are played that way.

Texas Holdem Poker play begins with each poker player being dealt two cards face down.  These are the only cards each poker player will receive individually, and they will not be revealed until showdown, making Texas Holdem Poker a closed poker game.  A first pre-flop poker betting round now happens, beginning with the poker player to the left of the big blind (or the dealer, if no blinds are used). 

Now the Texas Holdem Poker dealer deals a burn card, followed by three face-up community cards called the flop, followed by a second poker betting round.  This and all subsequent poker betting rounds begin with the poker player to the left of the dealer button.  After this poker betting round, a burn card and single community card called the turn are dealt, followed by a third poker betting round.  Finally, a burn and a single community card called the river are dealt, followed by a fourth poker betting round and showdown if necessary.

On showdown, each Texas Holdem poker player plays the best five-card poker hand he can make from the seven cards comprising his two and the board (the five community cards).  A Texas Holdem poker player may use both of his own two down cards, only one, or none at all to form his final five-card poker hand.  If the best five-card poker 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 poker hand.  It is common for poker players to have closely-valued poker hands.  In particular, kickers often are needed to break ties, 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).

Texas Holdem Poker Examples

Here's a sample Texas Holdem poker final showdown:

Alice's best five-card Texas Holdem Poker hand is 8♠ 7♠ 6♦ 5♦ 4♥, making an 8-high straight.  The best poker 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, David can play K♠ K♥ K♦ 4♣ 4♥, for a full house, which wins this Texas Holdem Poker game.

Here's a sample Texas Holdem Poker deal.  The players' individual poker hands will not be revealed until showdown, to give a better sense of what happens during Texas Holdem Poker play.  Bob, to the dealer's left, posts a blind of $1, and Carol blinds $2.  Alice deals two cards face down to each poker player, beginning with Bob and ending with herself.  David 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," so she has the right to raise here, but she checks her option instead, ending the first Texas Holdem Poker betting round.

Alice now burns a card and deals the "flop" of three face-up community cards, 9♣ K♣ 3♥.  On this Texas Holdem Poker betting 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 that Texas Holdem Poker betting round. 

After burning, Alice deals the final "river" card of the 9♦, making the final Texas Holdem 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 poker hand of Q♠ 9♥, so the best five-card poker 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 poker hand K♣ K♠ 9♣ 9♦ J♥ for two pair, Ks and 9s, with a J kicker.  Bob wins the pot in this Texas Holdem Poker game.

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

Texas Holdem Poker Board (after three rounds):
 

At the moment, Bob is in the lead in this Texas Holdem Poker game with a hand of Q♠ Q♣ 8♠ 8♥ K♥, making two pair, Qs and 8s, with a K kicker.  This just beats Carol's poker hand of Q♥ Q♣ 8♠ 8♥ 10♦ by virtue of his kicker.  Both Alice and David are hoping the final poker card is a club, which will make them both a flush, but David would have the higher flush and win if that happens.  For example, if the final poker card was the 7♣, David's flush would be Q-J-7-4-2, while Alice's would be Q-10-9-7-4.  Alice could still win, though, if the final poker card were the J♦, as that would give her a Q-high straight. 

On this Texas Holdem Poker deal, however, the final poker 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 poker 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 poker hands, and they can't play six cards.  They therefore split the pot in this Texas Holdem Poker game.

The rules for Texas Holdem Poker are not as complicated as they may first seem.  Spend some time practicing and Texas Holdem rules will become second nature.

...go here for a complete Index of the Poker Rules including Texas Holdem and Omaha Poker

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