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No Limit Texas Hold’emDubbed “The Cadillac of Poker”, Texas holdem is also known as “party poker” or “holdem poker.” This is one of the most popular poker variants that are played at land based- or online casinos. But best to learn to play texas holdem, by first learning the basic rules of the game. Read the step-by-step procedures right here or download our poker software, so you can practise to play holdem poker for free.
Holdem poker in a nutshell
Texas holdem is a community card type of poker game. This means that some of the cards are dealt face down, and some are dealt face up, and that some of the cards are shared by all players. The three cards that are dealt face up, are called “community cards,” and can be used by everyone. The two cards that are dealt face down, for each player’s exclusive view, is called “hole cards”. The objective of the game, is to form the best possible 5-card hand, using a combination of the hole cards, and the community cards. The player with the best hand at the point of showdown, which takes place after the final betting round, is the winner of the pot.
Betting Limits at the texas holdem poker table
The following betting rules apply in no limit texas holdem:
- a player may bet any amount he has in front of him, at any time;
- a re-raise has to be at least double the amount of the previous raise. If a player does not have enough money to match that, he/she will be forced to move all-in. (That means putting all the chips you have left in the pot);
- The size of the bet has to be the size of the big blind, unless the player has not enough money, in which case he/she is forced to move all-in.
As there are no limits to raising the pot in No Limit Texas Hold’em, it provides opportunities for bluffing strategies, which would not necessarily be possible in a game of Limit Texas Hold’em- where it is best to simply base your bet on the strength of your hand
Playing procedures for no limit texas holdem
Process prior to cards being dealt
- A player is selected to be the first dealer. At casinos a marker called the “button,” will be placed in front of this player, to keep track of who was dealing last. This position of the button does not only determine who the dealer is, but also the order in which players are about to play. The player on the left of the button will commence and the game will proceed clockwise from there. Once the first game is over, the button will then move clockwise as well. When playing poker online, the dealing is done by the computer. There can also be no confusion as to the playing turns, as the process is completely automated.
- The first player to the left of the button, referred to as the number 1 seat, has to put in a forced bet, which is called the small blind. The next player to the left of the first player, in the number two seat, has to put in forced bet too- called the big blind. The big blind is normally at least double the amount of the small blind.
Dealing of the cards
First, the starting hand is dealt. Commencing with the first player on the left of the button, (the person who put in a small blind), the dealer will deal the cards, one by one, in a clockwise direction. Every player receives a total of two cards, face down, which is not available for view by the other players. These cards are called the “hole cards.”
First betting round
The games begin, with the player in seat 3, which is on the left of the player in seat number 2. This position in poker terms, is also called “sitting under the gun.” Having seen his two hole cards, player in seat 3 can now take one of the following actions:
- Fold, this means to quit and throw his hole cards in the middle of the table, called the muck
- Call, meaning matching the amount of the big blind or
- Raise, by making two smaller bets
Player number four can now proceed and also fold, call or raise. If the former player did raise, then the next player can re-raise.
The game proceeds in the same manner in a clockwise direction, until all players have either folded, or contributed the same amount to the pot. (This is the amount of money or poker chips that everyone has bet in a particular poker game, which is placed in the middle of the table).
In every betting round, there are only three raises allowed, with the fourth bet, being the final one. This final bet is called the cap. After the cap all remaining players can only take one of two actions: either fold, or call.
Upon completion of this first round of betting, the dealing of the flop takes place.
Dealing of the Flop & the second round of betting
The dealer begins to deal by turning over the top card of the deck and placing it face down on the table. This card is called the burn card and is not available for further play. This procedure is followed to eliminate cheating- just in case the card has been marked.
The dealer then deals three cards and places them face up on the table, for everyone’s view. These first three cards that are dealt, is called the “flop.” As there are only two more cards to come after the flop- this is a crucial point in the game for all players. Now they have to attempt to predict their own chances of holding the winning hand- based on the poker probabilities- and carefully determine their moves from there.
Since the blinds are only applicable at inception of the game, the second round of betting starts off at the first player, in seat number 1. From there on the betting and player actions proceed as in the first round of betting, in a clockwise direction. Once again, the maximum amount of raises that are allowed, are three. (a total of four small bets in total).
Once all players that opted to remain in the game, have all contributed the same amount to the pot, it is time for the turn.
Dealing of the turn & the third round of betting
The dealer burns the top card of the deck again, and then deals one more community card, face down. This fourth community card is called the “turn.”
Betting then proceeds exactly as per the previous round, with the only difference that the bets are now doubled. This is called “big bets.” Once all players that chose to stay in the game have contributed equally to the pot, the third round of betting is complete, and it is time for the river.
Dealing of the river and the fourth and final round of betting
Once again the dealer kicks off by burning the top card of the deck. The fifth and final community card is then dealt face up. This card is called the “river.”
Exactly as per the flop and the turn, players can opt which actions to take and betting proceeds clockwise from the button. The bets in this round, are equal to the big bets, as placed on the turn.
As this is the final round, the players who choose to stay, have flip their hole cards face up, to show who of the remaining players has the best hand. This is called showdown. The person with the best 5-card hand according to the poker rankings -is the winner and takes the pot.
After this, the dealer moves the button on one position clockwise and a new game starts.
The best way to actually learn to play no limit texas holdem, is to PLAY NO LIMIT TEXAS HOLD’EM POKER. As you play, your skills will continue to improve. It is commonly known that it takes minutes to learn the game, but a lifetime to master it. So click here to begin your road to mastering the game and start playing texas holdem poker online now.
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