Texas Holdem First Round Betting
Texas Hold’em is by far the most popular and exciting form of poker available to players today. With the explosion and success of major televised tournament events, No Limit Texas Hold’em has become the player’s favorite type of poker.
First Betting Round: Preflop Two “Hole Cards” are dealt face down and the first round of betting begins The first round of betting takes place right after each player has been dealt two hole cards.
- If in any betting round it is a player’s turn to act and the action is unopened, then the player can open action in a betting round by making a bet — the act of making the first voluntary bet in a betting round is called opening the round. On the first betting round, it is also called opening the pot, though in variants where blind bets are.
- The order of betting in the first round — i.e. The pre-flop betting round — is different to the order for the subsequent betting rounds. Pre-flop, it is the player immediately to the left of the big blind who acts first. This position is sometimes referred to as being “under the gun”.
Texas Hold’em, also known simply as Hold’em, is a poker game in which each player receives two cards (hole cards) dealt face down, while five community cards are dealt face up on the table throughout four betting rounds. The object of the game is to win the pot that players invest in by betting during the various rounds. All players play their best five cards using any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards on the table. The best five-card poker hand among those in contention for the pot wins.
How to Play Texas Hold’em
The Button
In Texas Hold’em, a disc known as the dealer “button” serves to recognize which player sitting at the table is the dealer for that particular hand. The cards are dealt in a clockwise direction from the dealer button. Each time the cards are dealt, a new betting round begins. A Texas Hold’em hand starts when the first card is dealt and ends when a winner is declared. After each hand has been completed, as with standard poker rules, the “button” moves clockwise to the next active player. This is done because there is an advantage to having to act last and therefore each player will get his fair share of early, late and middle positions. This player will be considered to be “playing the button’ for that hand.
Blinds
The player to the immediate left of the button is first to receive a card and is required to post a “small blind”. The small blind is equal to half the lower limit bet rounded down to the nearest dollar (For example, in a $4-$8 game, the small blind is $2; in a $3-$6 game, the small blind is $1. The player to the immediate left of the small blind is required to post the “big blind”, equal to the lower limit bet (For example, in a $3-$6 game, the big blind is $3.). When a new player sits down at a Texas Hold’em poker game, he must either post the equivalent of the big blind or wait for their turn in the big blind. This prevents players from gaining an advantage by avoiding the blinds and jumping in and out of games. If you have missed one or both blinds, our software will prompt you if to put in the correct amount. You can also wait for the blind to get to your position. This is called coming in on the blind. Both blinds in Texas Hold’em poker are considered live bets and therefore, according to poker rules, have the option of checking, calling, raising or folding when the betting action returns to their position.
Betting Rounds
First Round (Pre-Flop) — After the Texas Hold’em players in the blind positions put their blinds into the pot the dealer deals two cards called “hole cards” to each player. At this time each player can see his own cards but not those of his opponents. After seeing their hole cards, players now have the option to play their hands by calling, raising or folding. On the first round only, a player cannot check (make no bet) and still retain his hand. On the first round only, the betting starts with the first active player to the immediate left of the big blind. The minimum bet in this round is the size of the small blind. Thus in a $5/$10 No Limit Texas Hold’em game, it would cost a minimum of $5 for the player who acts first to call in this initial round of betting. (The maximum dollar value and number of raises per round depends on version of Texas Hold’em being played as described below.)
Second Round (Flop) — Next, three cards are dealt face-up on the board also known as the “flop”. These three community cards are available to all active players. In this round play begins with the first active player to the immediate left (clockwise) of the dealer button, who has one of three choices, check, bet, or fold. Until there is a bet, each succeeding active player has the same choices. Once a bet is made, each succeeding Texas Hold’em player then has, in turn, one of three choices; call, raise, or fold. Bets and raises occur in lower limit bet increments. Therefore in a $5/$10 No Limit Texas Hold’em game the bet would cost a minimum of $5.
Third Round (Turn) — When betting action is completed for the flop round, the “turn” is dealt face-up on the board. The turn is the fourth community card in a Texas Hold’em poker game. Play once again begins with the active player immediately left (clockwise) of the dealer button and the same rules apply as the second round except that poker betting doubles from the lower limit bet to the higher limit bet. In a $5/$10 game, betting on the turn is done in $10 increments.
Fourth Round (River) — When betting action is completed for the turn round, the “river” is dealt face-up on the board. The river is the fifth and final community card in a Texas Hold’em game. Play once again begins with the active player immediately left (clockwise) of the dealer button as explained above.
Showdown — When all the betting is done, and if more than one player is still in for the pot, then the showdown determines who wins the game of Texas Hold’em. In No Limit Texas Hold’em, it is possible that one or more betting rounds not take place if only one active player has any chips left with all other active players having bet all their chips (all-in). When this occurs, any remaining community cards will be dealt face up and a showdown will take place. The last player to open with a bet or raise is required to show their cards first and anyone else can fold. Players who elect to fold do not have to show their cards. (i.e. muck his cards if he decides he has lost. However the hole cards of all players who stay in to the showdown are included in the hand history, even if they choose to muck). The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. In the event of identical hands, the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands. Texas Hold’em rules state that all suits are equal, so split pots are more common than in other variations of poker.
There are three different types of Texas Hold’em Poker games, made different by their betting structures
- No Limit: Players may bet all of their chips at any time.
- Pot Limit: Players may bet an amount equal to the pot size.
- Limit: Players may bet a fixed amount for each round.
No Limit Texas Hold’em
In No Limit Texas Hold’em, the minimum amount a player can bet must be equal or greater than the big blind and a raise must equal or be greater then the last bet or raise within the same round. There is no maximum amount to bet, a player may bet his entire stack at any time. The number of raises is only limited to a player’s chips total.
Pot Limit Texas Hold’em
In Pot Limit Texas Hold’em, the minimum amount a player can raise must equal or be greater than the last bet or raise within the same round. The maximum a player may bet is equal to the amount in the pot including his call before making the raise. (Example; a player‘s call is $5 and the pot is $20, he may raise to a maximum of $50. His call of $5 brings the pot to $25 and he may raise the amount equal to the pot of $25, thus the raise is $25.)
Limit Texas Hold’em
In Limit Texas Hold’em, players must bet a pre-determined fixed amount per each round. The betting amount is equal to the big blind for the first two rounds of betting and doubles up for the last two rounds of betting. A maximum of 4 bets is allowed per round which includes a bet and three raises. (Example; in a $5/$10 Limit Texas Hold’em game, players must bet $5 and raise by $5 up to a maximum of $20 for the pre-flop and flop rounds, they must bet $10 and raise by $10 up to a maximum of $40 for the turn and river round).
OBJECTIVE: To become a winner you should make up the highest possible poker hand of five cards, using the two initially dealt cards and the five community cards.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2–10 players
NUMBER OF CARDS: 52- deck cards
RANK OF CARDS: A-K-Q-J-10–9–8–7–6–5–4–3–2
THE DEAL: Every player is dealt two cards face down which is commonly called ‘hole cards’.
TYPE OF GAME: Casino
AUDIENCE: Adults
Introduction to Texas Hold ‘Em
No Limit Texas Hold’em. Sometimes called the cadillac of Poker, Texas Hold ’em is a fairly easy game to learn but can take years to master.
How to Play
To begin every player gets two pocket cards. A deck of cards is placed in the middle of the table and these are known as community deck and these are the cards that the flop will be dealt from.
Once all players have been dealt their initial two cards players will be asked to place their first bid. Once all players have placed their first bid a second round of bidding occurs.
Once all players have placed their final bids, the dealer will deal the flop. The dealer will flip over the first 3 cards, known as the “flop”, from the community deck. The goal is to make the best 5 card had you can with the three cards from the community deck and the two in your hand.
Once the first three cards have been flipped over, player will have the option to bid again or fold. After all players have had a chance to bid or fold, the dealer will flip over a fourth card known as a “turn” card.
The players still remaining will have the option to once again fold or bid. Now the dealer will flip the 5th and final card over, known as the “river”card.
Once all five cards have been flipped by the dealer, players will have one last chance to raise the bid or fold. Once all bids and count bids have been made it’s time for the players to reveal their hands and determine a winner.
First Round Betting: The Pre-Flop
When playing Texas hold ’em a round flat chip or “disk” is used to represent the position of the dealer. This disk is placed in front of the dealer to indicate their status. The person sitting to dealer left is known as the small blind and the person sitting to the left of the small blind is known as the big blind.
When betting, both blinds are required to post a bet before receiving any cards. The big blind is required to post the equivalent or higher of the bet placed by the small blind. Once both blinds have posted their bids two cards are dealt to each player and remaining players can choose to fold, call, or raise. After the end of the game the dealer button is moved to the left so that every player takes on the blind position at some point to maintain the fairness of the game.
Fold — The action of surrendering your cards to the dealer and sitting out the hand. If one folds their cards in the first round of betting, they lose no money.
Call — The action of matching the table bet, which is the most recent bet that has been placed on the table.
Raise — The action of doubling the amount of the most recent bet.
The small and the big blind have the option to fold, call, or raise before the first round of betting ends. If either of them choose to fold, they will lose the blind bet that they initially placed.
Second Round Betting: The Flop
After the first round of betting ends the dealer will proceed to deal the flop. Once the flop has been dealt, players will access the strength of their hands. Again, the player to the left of the dealer is the first to act.
Since there is no compulsory bet on the table, the first player has the option to to take the three previous options discussed, call, fold, raise, as well as the option to check. To check, a player taps his hand twice on the table, this allows the player to pass the option to make the first bet on to the player to his left. All players have the option to check until a bet has been placed on the table. Once a bet has been placed, players must choose to either fold, call, or raise.
Third & Fourth Round Betting: The Turn & The River
After the second round of betting closes, the dealer will deal the fourth card of the flop, known as the turn card. The player to dealer left has the option to check or place a bet. The player that opens the bet closes the bet, after all other players have chosen to fold, raise, or call.
The dealer will then add the bets to the existing pot and deal a fifth card known as “The River”. Once this card has been dealt, the remaining players have the option to check,fold, call, or raise. Lets say all players decide to check. If that is the case it is time for all remaining players to reveal there cards and determine the winner. The player with the highest ranking hand is the winner. They receive the full pot and a new game begins.
Texas Holdem First Round Betting Game
Ties
In the chance of a tie between hands the following tie-breakers are used:
Pairs– if two players are tied for highest pairs a “kicker” or the next highest-ranking card is used to determine the winner. You continue until one player has a higher-ranking card or both are determined to have the same exact hand, in which case the pot is split.
Two pairs– in this tie, the higher ranked pair wins, if top pairs are equal in rank you move to the next pair, then move to kickers if necessary.
Three of a kind — higher ranking card takes the pot.
Straights — the straight with the highest-ranking card wins; if both straights are the same the pot is split.
Flush — The flush with the highest-ranking card wins, if the same you move to the next card till a winner is found or hands are the same. If hands are the same split the pot.
Full house — the hand with the higher ranking three cards wins.
Texas Holdem First Round Betting Results
Four of a kind — the higher ranking set of four wins.
Straight flush — ties are broken the same as a regular straight.
Royal Flush — split the pot.
Hand Ranking
2. Pair — Two of the same the same card (9,9,6,4,7)
3. Two pair — Two pairs of the same card (K,K,9,9,J)
4. Three of a kind — Three cards of the same ( 7,7,7,10,2)
6. Flush — Five cards of the same suit
7. Full House — Three card of a kind and a pair (A,A,A,5,5)
9. Straight Flush — Five cards in order all of the same suit (4,5,6,7,8 — same suit)
10. Royal Flush — Five cards in order of the same suit 10- A (10,J,Q,K,A)
[Total: 2 Average: 3.5/5]
