Texas Hold'em
Texas Hold'em is known as the 'Cadillac of poker'. What makes it so special compared to most other
poker variants is the fact that there are up to 5 community cards (cards that all the players share) which
a player must use together with his 2 personal holecards.
For instance, if community cards are

then a player with the remaining

would have 4 aces with the best possible kicker: a king. But at
the same time a player holding

would have a royal flush. So this is what makes the game so intriguing, you know what you have, and
looking at the community cards you can guess what the others can have, but to know is a completely
different matter.

How the game is played
First the two players to the immediate left of the dealer post the small and the big blind. This is done to get the 
action going. Then each player is dealt two holecards face down. After looking at his cards the player to the left 
of the big blind starts acting and can either fold, call (pay the same amount as the big blind) or raise. This 
continues until all the players have had the chance to do the same.

The Dealer then turns up three cards, face up, in the center of the table (a.k.a. the flop). These cards are called 
community cards which are shared by all the players. Then the first remaining player (some players may have 
folded before the flop) to the left of the dealer starts a new round of action.

When all players have acted, the 4th community card (a.k.a. the turn) is put on the table and another round of
betting takes place.

Then the 5th and final community card (a.k.a. the river) is dealt and the last betting round follows.

When the last bets have been made the remaining players show their hands (the showdown) and the player 
with the best hand wins the pot. If two or more players have the same hand (for instance, the same straight) 
the pot is split equally between them.

If, at any point in the hand, somebody makes a bet and all the other players fold, he wins the pot and does 
not have to show his cards. Once each hand is concluded it starts all over again, with the exception that the 
dealer is now the player that had the small blind in the previous hand. The player that had the big blind now 
has the small blind and so forth.

As you understand by now, there are several turns of action in Texas Hold'em - giving plenty of room for clever
maneuvering. The fact that a hand quiclky can change from bad to good, or vice versa, is another reason why 
thegame is so unpredictable and therefore so fun to play.

Betting (Structures)

General
In all structure a raise must be at least as high as the previous bet or raise, unless a player is going All-in.

Fixed Limit
There is a limit for each table that determines the blinds and the betting. The big blind equals the lower limit
(for example if the limit is € 5/10 the the big blind is € 5). The small blind is usually about half the size of the
big blind. Depending on the game, the lower limit is used in the first betting rounds and the higher limit in the
later rounds of betting. The maximum number of bets that can be made in one betting round is 4 (bet+ 3 raises).

No Limit
In No Limit games, players are allowed to bet any amount at any time, The only limitation is how much money
you have at the table. The minimum bet equals the size of the big blind.

Pot Limit
In Pot Limit games, players are allowed to bet any amount at any time up to the size of the pot. The minimum 
betequals the size of the big blind or the bring-in.

½ Pot Limit
In Half Pot Limit games, players are allowed to bet any amount at any time up to 50% of the size of the pot.
The minimun bet equals the size of the big blind or the bring-in.

Detailed Information

Players
Up to 10 players are allowed to play in the same game. Each table has a preset number of seats (maximum
number of players who can take part in the game at that table). Different tables with the same game can have
different numbers of seats.

Dealer
In Texas Hold'em a marker (the 'dealer button') indicates who has the dealer position. The botton moves 
clockwisebetween the players.

Blinds
Texas Hold'em is played with two blind bets, the 'small blind' and the 'big blind'. Before any cards are dealt 
the blinds must be posted. The player to the left of the dealer posts the small blind and the next player in 
turn posts the big blind. The blinds are cinsidered as 'live' bets. If you have posted a blind you are, when 
the action gets back to you, only required to make up the difference, if any, between the blind and the 
current bet. The players in the blinds have the option to fold, call, check or raise in turn.

Deal
Each player receives 2 cards dealt face down. These 2 cards are called the 'hole cards'. After that, 3 community 
cards are dealt face up on the board, 'the flop'. Then another community card, 'the turn' or 'fourth street' is 
dealt. Finally the last community card, 'the river' or 'fifth street', will make it 5 cards showing on the board.

Betting Order
Texas Hold'em has 4 betting rounds. The first betting round takes place after the players have been dealt 
their hole cards. In this round the player to the left of the big blind is first to act. In the following betting 
rounds, which take place after the flop, the turn, and the river (see above), the first active player to the left 
of the dealer button starts the action.

Showdown
When the last betting round is finished, after all the cards have been dealt out, there is a showdown to 
determine the winner. The best 5 card hand wins the pot. The players are allowed to use 1 or 2 of their 
hole cards, but they can also 'play the board' meaning that they use all 5 cards on the board. If two or 
more players show the same hand, they split the pot. If there was betting on fifth street, the player who 
made the last bet or raise must show his hand first. If there was no betting, the first remaining player 
to the left of the dealer shows his hand first.

Hand Rankings
The winning hand is always determined by the best Five card hand. Aces count as the highest card (14) 
but may be counted as 1 in a straight 5-4-3-2-A.

Royal Flush. Ace-King-Queen-Jack-Ten in the same suit. If two or more players show Royal Flushes, the 
hands are tied and the pot is split.

Straight Flush. Five consecutive cards of the same suit, where the top card is not an Ace. Ties between 
two or more Straight Flushes are broken by the highest card. If the Straight Flushes are equal in rank, 
the pot is split.

Four of a Kind. Four cards of the same rank. Ties are broken by the highest Four of a Kind and then, 
if necessary, by the highest fifth card (the 'kicker'). If all five cards are equal in rank, the pot is split.

Full House. Three cards of one rank (Three of a Kind) and two cards of another rank (a Pair). Ties are 
broken by the highest Three of a Kind, then by the highest Pair. If all five cards are equal in rank, the 
pot is split.

Flush. Five cards of the same suit, but not in consecutive order. Ties are broken by the highest card/s in 
order. If all five cards are equal in rank, the pot is split.

Straight. Five cards in consecutive order, but not all of the same suit. Ties are broken by the highest card. 
If two or more straights are equal in rank, the pot is split.

Three of a Kind. Three cards of the same rank and two odd cards ('kickers'). Ties are broken by the 
highest Three of a Kind, then by the highest kicker/s in order. If all five cards are equal in rank, the 
pot is split.

Two Pair. Two cards of the same rank, two cards of another rank and a fifth, odd card ('kicker'). Ties are 
broken by the highest Pair, then by the second Pair, then by the highest kicker. If all five cards are equal 
in rank, the pot is split.

One Pair. Two cards of the same rank and three odd cards ('kicker'). Ties are broken by the highest Pair, 
then by the highest kicker/s in order. If all five cards are equal in rank, the pot is split.

No Pair (High Cards). Five non-consecutive cards of different ranks and suits. Ties are broken by the 
highest card/s in order. If all five cards are equal in rank, the pot is split. If there is an odd (25 cent) 
chip in a split pot, it goes to the winner player to the left of the dealer.