Texas Holdem Poker

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How to play Texas Hold'em Poker

Most games start with two players to the left of the dealer placing out a predetermined amount of money this is an amount to get the game started and is called posting the blinds.
The player nearest the dealer posts the "Big Blind" and the next player posts the "Small Blind" usually half of the big blind. They post these even before the cards are dealt, this evens up as the dealer moves around the table, so every player at some point has to post a blind.

The dealer then shuffles the deck deck of 52 playing cards.

Each player is then dealt two cards face down. These cards are called your "Hole" or "Pocket" cards.

Each player at this point looks at their two cards. There is then a round of betting starting with the player to the left of the two that posted the blinds. This round is usually called the "Pre Flop".
The amount a player can bet depends on what kind of game it is, usually the player can call, this is equal to the big blind, or you can raise. Depending on wich type of game you are playing decides how much you can raise by. Some games have fixed odds for instance - If the big blind was 50c the the amount you could raise may be restricted to double that amount for example $1.00. The next player could raise again so the next bet would, in a restricted game, be $1.50 and so on. Or you can fold which means you do not wish to continue with this hand. Fold means you discard your cards before you need to bet.
As with most games of poker, players can call, raise, check or fold.
Once the betting round ends, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called a "Burn Card". This card is discarded to prevent cheating.
The dealer then deals three cards face up on the table. These cards are called "The Flop". These are cards that all players can use in conjunction with their two pocket cards to form a five card poker hand.
Now there comes another round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
Don't forget you can fold at any point in the game when it is your turn if you feel you are not going to make a winning or good hand.
When the betting finishes, the dealer deals another card face up onto the table. This is called the "Turn Card". Players can now use this sixth card to form a five card poker hand.
Now the player to the left of the dealer starts another round of betting or may decide to "Check". To check means you wish to stay in the game but do not wish to bet any more money at this time. If someone after you bets then you must equal that bet to stay in the game of fold to leave the particular game. In some types of games, this is the point where the bet size doubles.
After that round of betting the dealer deals a final card face up on the table. This is called the "River Card". Players can now use any of the five cards on the table or the two cards in their pocket to form a five card poker hand.
There now comes one final round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
After that, all of the players remaining in the game begin to reveal their hands. This begins with the player to the left of the last player to call. This is called the "Showdown". Players use a combination of their pocket cards and the community cards to form a poker hand.
If you need more information on forming a five card hand please visit our page about Poker Hands

The player who has the best hand wins! Sometimes it happens where two players have the same hand in this case they share the winnings.
Once you understand the basics of the game, you can play Texas holdem at the online poker sites. Texas Holdem is a very easy game to learn, but you can fall into the trap of thinking you are good very easily. This can be very costly in an online poker room or any poker table.
You can however practice all you want for free in most online poker rooms. Check out this one Titan Poker which has good graphics and a real poker table feeling.

The only way to learn the game is to play. Check out Titan Poker to get a feel for game. Play Texas Holdem Poker all you want for free initially, then play for real money when you feel ready. There are low limits for new players and high stakes tables if you feel you are good enough. The choice is yours! There are other poker sites available check out the ones at the top of the page on the right.