Texas Hold'em Poker
The most loved poker game in poker tournaments
Game Information
Overview
The object of Texas Hold'em Poker is to obtain a better hand with five out of seven cards, which consist of two hole cards (individually held, also called pocket cards) and five community cards (commonly shared and shown on the table), than other players.
Card Values & Ranking
Card Value and Ranking
The rank of the card has nothing to do with the Suit. It only depends on the value of each card.
Ranking of Hands
| Examples of hands | Names (ranking) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Straight Flash | Five cards are of the identical suit and consist of a ten, a joker, a queen, a king, and an ace. | |
| Straight Flash | Five cards are of the identical suit and in consecutive numbers. | |
| Back Straight Flash | Five cards are of the identical suit and consist of an ace, a two, a three, a four, and a five. | |
| Four of a Kind | A hand consisting of four cards of the same rank | |
| Full House | A hand consisting of two cards of the same rank and three cards of the same rank each | |
| Flush | A hand consisting of five cards of the identical suit | |
| Mountain (Straight) | A hand consisting of a ten, a joker, a queen, a king, and an ace but in different suits | |
| Straight | A hand of cards in consecutive numbers but in different suits | |
| Back Straight | A hand of cards consisting of an ace, a two, a three, a four, and a five but in different suits | |
| Three of a Kind | A hand including three cards of the same rank | |
| Two Pairs | A hand including two cards of the same rank | |
| One Pairs | A hand including one card of the same rank |
The type and ranking of hands for Texas Hold'em Poker are the same as those for Seven Card Poker.
Mountain straight (A - K - Q - J - 10) has higher value than back straight (5 - 4 - 3 - 2 – A).
If two players have the same ranking, the player with cards with higher influence on ranking wins. If they have the cards with the same influence, the hand shall become a push.
Bets are divided to the two players, which is called a split. If other players also have no card with influence on ranking, all the bets are split.
Game Procedure
Game Procedure
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The Start
To start, the amount of 'Blind' bets are put up or 'Posted'.
The player to the immediately left of the dealer puts up the small blind, which is half the minimum bet. Then, the player to the second left of the dealer puts up the big blind, which is equal to the minimum bet. The rest of the players do not put up any money until just before cards are dealt to them.
Since the deal rotates around the table, each player will eventually act as the big blind, small blind, and dealer.The other players do not place any bet until the cards are dealt. The big blind, small blind, and dealer take turns. -
The Opening (First Betting Round)
Each player is dealt two cards face-down with the player on the small blind receiving the first card and the player with the dealer button getting the last card.
The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind by putting in the minimum bet to 'Call' the blind bet, putting in twice the minimum bet to 'Raise' the big blind, or folding his hand to give up.
Each player must take heed not to place a bet or fold when it is not his/her turn.Each player must take heed not to place a bet or fold when it is not his/her turn.- Call: to match the highest bet made so far
- Fold: to drop out of the hand and lose any bets already made
- Raise: to increase the previous high bet
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The Flop (Community Card) and Second Betting Round
After the first betting round is completed, three cards are dealt and turned face up in the middle of the table.
This is known as the "Flop". These are community cards used by all players. Another betting round begins with the first active player to the left of the dealer button. -
The Turn (Third Betting Round)
When the second betting round after the flop is completed, the dealer turns a fourth card face up on the table.
This is called a "TURN". The betting round will begin with the first active player to the left of the dealer as it is in a Flop. -
The River (Final Betting Round)
Following the third betting round after the Turn, the dealer will turn a fifth and final card face up. This is called a "RIVER", and the final betting round will begin.
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The Showdown
To determine the winner, the players may use any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards on the table to form the highest hand.
In some rare cases, the best hand will be the five community cards on the table. In this case the active players will split the pot.
Game Option
Limit Game
- In this game, the betting arrangement will be decided before the opening of the table.
- In limit games, the all-in option is not applied as only preset amounts can be bet.
- The standard bet amount for the fist and second bets is the minimum bet. When raising, the minimum bet should be added to the previous bet.
The standard bet amount for the third and fourth bets is the maximum bet. When raising, the maximum bet should be added to the previous bet. - On a KRW 20,000/40,000 limit table, the small blind bet starts with KRW 10,000 and the big blind bet with KRW 20,000.
There are four betting rounds and the first two have a minimum of KRW 20,000 and the last two rounds have aminimum of KRW 40,000. - In heads-up situations (when the number of players changes by folding after the opening of the turn card), there is no limit to the number of times for raising.
No Limit Game
- Only the blind rate is decided before opening the table.
- Since there is no limit, every player may put in all the money at any betting chance.
The minimum bet amount becomes the amount of the big blind, and there is no ceiling for the maximum bet amount. Thus, there is an all-in option. - The No Limit Game is very fast and exciting and usually played at poker tournaments.