General rules, hand rankings, how to play Texas Hold'em Poker.
I didn't plan a similar post, since the content of this post can be found in many places, but because of the Hive Poker Freeroll, I thought it better to describe the basics in 2-3 parts, so that those who are completely new to poker and would like to join can find the basics in one place + there will be a permanent link for newcomers in the future.
In the first part, I will discuss the basic rules, gameplay and hand strengths. I will mainly rely on the 2 websites what I usually recommend to people who are just getting to know the game. At first, some parts are discussed more clearly or in more detail by one or another source, even if none of them will be able to say anything new about the basics.
MyPokerCoaching
CardPlayer
Poker is a popular card game with many different variations. Texas Hold'em is undoubtedly the most popular. If you are interested in the other varieties, you can find an article about them here:
Types of Poker
A standard 52-card French-suited deck comprises 13 ranks in each of the four suits: clubs (♣), diamonds (♦️ red), hearts (♥ red) and spades (♠). Each suit includes three face cards, Jack, Queen and King. Each suit also includes ten numeral cards from one to ten. The Ace is the one, however in poker, that's the strongest single card, too. (See later.) Single card strengths in poker, in ascending order: 2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace.
In Hold'em, players receive two down cards as their personal hand (holecards), after which there is a round of betting. Three board cards are turned simultaneously (called the flop) and another round of betting occurs. The next two board cards are turned one at a time, with a round of betting after each card. The board cards are community cards, and a player can use any five-card combination from among the board and personal cards. A player can even use all of the board cards and no personal cards to form a hand. A dealer button is used. The usual structure is to use two blinds (small and big blind) and an ante.
Rounds of Betting
Opening deal
Each player is dealt two cards face down, which are known as hole cards or pocket cards.
First round of betting
Starting with the player to the left of the big blind, each player can call the big blind, raise, or fold. The big blind has the option to raise an otherwise unraised pot.
The flop
The dealer burns a card, and then deals three community cards face up. The first three cards are referred to as the flop, while all of the community cards are collectively called the board.
Second round of betting
Starting with the player to the left of the dealer button, each player can check or bet. Once a bet has been made, each player can raise, call, or fold.
The turn
The dealer burns another card, and then adds a fourth card face-up to the community cards. This fourth card is known as the turn card.
Third round of betting
It follows the same format as the second round, but the size of the bets have usually doubled in limit games.
The river
The dealer burns another card, and then adds a fifth and final card to the community cards. This fifth card is known as the river card.
Final round of betting
It follows the same format as the second and third rounds.
The showdown
Using the best five-card combination of their hole cards and the community cards, the remaining players show their hands, with the bettor or last raiser showing first. The highest five-card hand wins the pot. In case of a tie, the pot is evenly split among the winning hands.
Button and Blinds
In button games, a non-playing dealer normally does the actual dealing. A round disk called the button is used to indicate which player has the dealer position. The player with the button is last to receive cards on the initial deal and has the right of last action after the first betting round. The button moves clockwise after a deal ends to rotate the advantage of last action. One or more blind bets are usually used to stimulate action and initiate play. Blinds are posted before the players look at their cards. Blinds are part of a player's bet. With two blinds, the small blind is posted by the player immediately clockwise from the button, and the big blind is posted by the player two positions clockwise from the button. Action is initiated on the first betting round by the first player to the left of the blinds. On all subsequent betting rounds, the action begins with the first active player to the left of the button.
Poker Hands Rankings
The first things that you need to learn when playing Texas Hold'em are rules and poker hand rankings, knowing what beats what. It takes just few minutes, but it's a must before you start playing.
Poker Hands Ranking Rules
The Kicker
There are few situations where players can have a similar holding, but you still need to decide the winner of a particular poker hand. If two players have one pair hand, the one holding a higher pair will win.
KKxxx will always win against JJxxx and so on.
However, sometimes players end up having the same pair, such as KKQT3 and KKJ72. In this case “the kicker” comes into play and the player holding the highest non-pair hand will win.
Therefore, poker hand with KKQT3 will take down the pot because it has a higher kicker (Q>J).
Other rules
When both players have two pairs, the winners is one holding the highest pair. If the highest pair is the same then you have to compare the lower pair, and if that is the same as well, then the kicker decides (JJ227 wins against TT998)
When both players have a flush, the winner is one who holds a higher one (KhQh8h6h3h wins against KsQs7s4s3s)
When both players have a straight, the winner is one who holds the higher card combination (QJT98 wins against T9876)
When both players have full houses, the winner is one who holds higher 3-cards of the same rank (77722 wins against 666AA)
When both players have nothing, the winner is one holding the highest card. If the highest card is the same, then you have to compare the second one and so on until you find the difference (AQJ85 wins against AQJ83)
Based on my experience, mixing the two sources in this post is enough for you to learn the basics relatively quickly and confidently and be ready to start playing poker.
Next time, I will post about the different formats of the Texas Hold'em, especially tournaments, also about strategies.
Hope to see you soon at the Hive Poker Freeroll.
Good luck at the tables!
100% beneficiary of this post is @the-dealer.
Images are owned by CardPlayer, MyPokerCoaching and iStockPhoto.
Source:
CardPlayer
MyPokerCoaching