Texas Holdem is one of the most famous variant of the poker game. It is a community card game in which the players are dealt with two cards each, and each of them tries to form the highest possible 5-card hand ranking, using their two cards and five community cards that are placed by the dealer faced up on the center of the table.

The main objective of Texas Holdem is to compete for the amount of money in the pot. Since the cards are randomly dealt, each player aims to make a mathematically correct decisions on how much to bet or raise and on whether to call or fold in order to control the amount of money on the pot and maximize the long-term winnings.

How To Play Texas Holdem

Before the Texas Holdem game begins, blind bets are placed by the players that are seated to the left of the player with the dealer button, the small blind and the big blind. The first player to the left must place the small blind, which is equivalent to half the amount of the minimum bet, while the next player to the left must place the big blind, which is equivalent to the amount of the minimum bet.

The Opening or Pre-Flop

The cards are shuffled by the dealer and each player will be dealt with two face down cards, one at a time. The first player to receive one card should be the one who placed the small blind, and the last card that should be dealt must go to the player with the dealer button. The player who sits at the left of the one who placed the big blind is the first one to act.

There are three options for the player who should act first. He can FOLD and forfeit the hand; he can also CALL or match the amount of the big blind; or he can RAISE and increase the amount of money in the pot in order to stay in the game. Each player next to him has the same options. The last player to act is the one who placed the big blind. He has an additional option to CHECK if no one has raised.

If only one player calls and all other fold, he instantly win the pot. The first betting round is completed once each player has placed the same amount into the pot.

The Flops

When the first betting round in the Texas Holdem has been completed and there are still more than one active players who have not folded yet, three face up community cards will be placed by the dealer on the center of the table. These cards can be used by each player to complete the best possible hand ranking together with the two cards dealt to them. The second betting round follows.

The Turn

When the second betting round is accomplished with still more than one player standing, a fourth single face up community card, also known as the Fourth Street, is placed on the table. This additional card can be used by the players to further improve their hand by replacing one card. The third betting round follows after placing the fourth street.

The River

After the third betting betting round in the Texas Holdem game, and there still stands more than one player, a fifth community card will be placed face up on the table, known as the Fifth Street. Like the fourth street, this additional card can still be used to form the best possible poker hand. After placing the fifth street, the last betting round commences. If a player bets and all others fold, he wins the pot.

Showdown

If there are still more than one players who do not fold after the river, they will reveal their two cards. The one who made the last bet must be the first to reveal the cards. However, the players can reveal either one or both cards in forming the best possible hand, or can either reveal none and use the five community cards as the best hand they have, known as "playing the board". The player with the best poker hand wins the the pot. If more than one players share the best hand, the pot is equally split among them.