Texas Hold'em – No Limit

Up to 10 players are sitting at a table. In front of one of the players is a button with a "D" on it. This is called the dealer button. The dealer button moves one position to the left before each hand. This button originates from when players in the group took turns to deal the cards.

Texas Hold'em Game Cycle

The Game Cycle progresses as follows:

Blinds

First, the two players directly to the left of the dealer button must post "blinds", that is to place a bet before the cards are dealt. These bets are compulsory. This is to stimulate action on every hand. Since the dealer button moves one position clockwise every hand, everyone has to post blinds at some point in the game. The player to the immediate left of the dealer button posts the "small blind", the player to the left of the small blind posts the "big blind". The big blind is usually double the small blind.

Pocket Cards

After the blinds, the first cards are dealt. Every player gets two cards face down. These are called pocket cards (also known as hole or down cards).

First Betting Round

Betting begins with the player immediately to the left of the big blind and continues in a clockwise direction around the table. Every player can fold, call or raise. If someone makes a raise, the next player will have to call the raise to stay in the hand. The action always moves clockwise. If no one raises the pot, the last person to act is the player who puts in the big blind. He can either check (or let the flop come out) or he can bet (and start another round of action at the table). This position of big blind (when no one has raised the pot) is said to have the “option”.

The Flop Cards

The burn card is now placed face down on the table, this is a discard from the top of the deck. Now three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. These cards are called the flop cards. These are "community" cards and can be used by all the players to make up their hand.

Second Betting Round

A second round of betting follows. This is carried out exactly as the first betting round, but begins with the first player immediately to the left of the dealer button who is still involved in the hand.

Third Betting Round – The Turn Card

After the second round of betting, another burn card and a fourth "community" card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This is called the “Turn card" or “fourth street”. It is followed by a third round of betting.

Fourth Betting Round – The River Card

A final burn and a fifth and final "community" card is dealt. It is called the "River card" or “fifth street” and is followed by a fourth and final round of betting.

The Showdown

After the final betting round, the best five-card hand is determined. Both the pocket cards and the community cards can be used to make up a hand. The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. Players can also split the pot if they have the same hand. In the rare case of the best hand consisting of community cards only, the pot is divided between all the players left in the pot at the showdown. If you see that you are losing, and do not want to show your cards, you can Muck, that is to give up your hand and lose the pot. Otherwise you can Show to compare your hand with others.

Start again

After the hand is completed and the pot taken by the winner, the dealer button is moved one player to the left, and the next hand begins.

The Betting system

The player left of the big blind starts the betting round; betting order goes around the table clockwise. Everyone is betting according to what they think their hand will lead to.

Fold

If you don’t like your cards, you can fold, even if you have posted a blind, made a bet or raised a bet, if you get re-raised you can still fold and you will lose that money, but you will not lose any more. After folding, you are out of the game until the next hand begins.

Check/Call

You can stay in the game by checking or calling. If no bet has been made before you, you can check without placing any money in the pot. If a bet has been made (this includes the blinds), you can call by placing the same amount in the pot.

Bet/Raise/Re-raise/Re-re-raise

If you think your hand is good enough, or you want to bluff, this is when you pretend you have a good hand, you can make a bet. If another player has already made a bet, you can raise it.

All-in

When a player runs out of chips during the course of a hand, he/she does not have to fold. Instead the player will be deemed to have gone “all-in”. When you are all-in, you call all your chips into the pot, if there are still other players in the hand with more chips; the pot is divided into the main pot and side pot. All subsequent chips are thereafter added to the side pot, and cannot be won by the all-in player.

At the showdown if the all-in player does not have a winning hand, both the side pot and the main pot go to the winning hand, as usual.

At the showdown if the all-in player has a winning hand, the main pot goes to the all-in player, and the side pot goes to the next best hand.

When several players go all-in, multiple side pots are created. The pots are divided according to hand and order in which the players went all-in. If a player not all-in at the showdown has the winning hand he wins all side pots and the main pot. If an all-in player has the best hand he/she wins the pot or pots that were collected until he/she went all-in. Any all-in player with a winning hand can only win the pot or pots they are involved in.