Casino Poker Rules

Before the cards are dealt to each player "forced" bets must be placed, these are called the small and big blinds. The amount of the blinds are always pre-determined before play commences and the small blind is always 50%of the big blind. The small blind position is always the seat to the left of the dealer button, and the big blind always to the left of the small blind, as the dealer button moves around the table so do the small and big blind positions.

Receiving your cards

The dealer will start dealing the cards to the players around the table, starting with the player on his/her left, each player will receive 2 cards face down (sometimes called whole or pocket cards). Once the cards have been dealt each player will look at their cards and then decide on the action they wish to take to further their involvment in the particular hand. The following actions can be taken -
Fold - This means the player can return their cards to the dealer face down without placing a bet and then sit out the rest of the hand until the next deal.
Call - If the player wishes to proceed in the hand they can then call which means placing a bet that equals the amount of the big blind.
Raise - If a player likes the cards he/she has been dealt then they have the option to raise by putting in more chips(money) above the amount of the big blind.
Check - If you are the player that has made the big blind bet before dealing, and no other player has raised the bet around the table and you wish to stay in the hand without putting in anymore money then you can "check".
Each player starting from the left of the big blind makes their choice and acts. If a player does decide to raise the bet, then each player who wishes to stay in the hand will then have to call the new amount, including those who may have already acted. A re-raise can happen at anytime meaning that they raise the bet again above the amount it was raised previously. It is worth noting that if a player raises he/she may not raise again unless he/she was re-raised by another player, as opposed to being called. The round of betting stops when each player left in the hand have called the last raise.

Flop

The flop consists of 3 cards, these are the first 3 community cards out of a total of 5 community cards that can be used by every player around the table that is left in the game. Firstly the dealer will burn the top card, dealing it off the deck to one side, this card will not be used in the game. The next 3 cards from the deck will be laid out in fron t of the dealer face down, the dealer will then flip the cards one after another and reveal them to the players - this is called the flop. These 3 cards can be used along with the 2 cards the players already hold to make the best possible poker hand.

Another round of betting will now take place starting with the player in the small blind position - as always to left of the dealer button. They must make a decision and act as in the previous round of betting, but with 1 difference. If they now wish to remain in the hand but not place an immediate bet, they can now "check". Many experts will advise players who have not improved their hands with the additional 3 community cards to stop here and fold. Of course if you have bettered your hand or can bluff your way through any situation, then the game maybe for the taking! Once again, the betting round will end when all players have either folded or called the last bet or raise.

Turn

The dealer will burn another card off to the side, again this will not be used in the game, and then deals a 4th card or "turn" card face up and places alongside the 3 other community cards, again this card is for all the players left in the game to make use of to try and improve their hand. There is then another round of betting exactly the same as before, again starting with the small blind position.

River

After a final card is burned by the dealer, the river card is turned over and placed next to the previous 4 community cards. There is one final round of betting, exactly the same as before. If all other players fold, the player last in will win the pot.

Showdown

A showdown can occur when a player is called after the river card has been revealed, and can involve anything from 2 players to the entire table if in the unlikely event that every player has stayed in the hand til the end. All players still in the hand show their cards, starting with the last person to bet. After this player has shown his cards, other players in the showdown can "muck" their cards if they have lost, which essentially means the same as folding. They can hand their cards back to the dealer face down without revealing their playing style - this strategy can help keep the other players guessing about how you play the game and keep then from learning if you are a heavy better on 2 pairs or if you like to chase a flush.

The best 5 card poker hand wins the game.

Position

Where you sit at a Texas Hold´em table is a very important factor in how you play. The dealer position is considered the strongest on any given round, as being on the button means you act last in every post-flop round. Acting last means you act with the most information, which is essential to making the right decision whether to bet or raise, check, call or fold, and the game of poker is all about making the right decisions.

Being in an early position means you are one of the first to act in a round of betting, and is considered weak due to the lack of information you have before you act.

Besides everyone but you folding, the only way to win a hand is in a showdown. The five best cards are used out of the five community cards and each player´s whole cards, which can lead to some interesting and exciting situations. For example, if the board, or table cards, is AAKK9 and no player has better than a pair of eights in their hand, the board is the best possible hand, and all players in the showdown will chop the pot, which means to divide it evenly among those players. The same holds true if two players tie a hand. In the event of a flush or a straight, the player holding the highest card in the series wins; if the board has the five highest, the pot is chopped.

One last note - Texas Hold´em can be played as Limit, No Limit, and Pot Limit. Limit Hold´em means that you can only bet up to a predetermined amount, typically equal to the big blind, and raise the same amount. Raises are typically limited to four or five "bets" total, meaning the big blind, the first raise, and then three or four more raises. Pot Limit Hold'em means you can raise up to the current amount in the pot, but no more. No Limit Texas Hold´em is the most dramatic of the three, where any player, at any time, can declare All In and bet everything he has. A player calling an All In move with too few chips creates a side pot, which he cannot win and is separate from the main pot, which he can.

That in a nutshell is how to play Texas Hold´em, this is by no means an exhaustive set of rules, and I am sure that many players will probably play and interpret the game different to what i have described above - remember these are just a general basic set of rules trying to outline the game to any newcommers that may not know where to start.