Texas Holdem Poker How To Deal

Starting with the player to the left of the poker dealer button, a Texas Hold’em dealer will then deal 2 hole cards to all of the players at the table. Regarding how to deal poker cards, it’s usually up to you (or to the standard practice of the casino in which you work). How To Deal Texas Hold’em From a Hold’em dealer perspective, the hand starts with the shuffle and concludes with awarding the pot to the winner. In between you have to give everyone their cards, ensure all bets make it into the pot, and deal the board the flop, turn, and river when appropriate. Basic Texas Holdem Poker Dealing Rules. Knowing the basics in Texas Holdem Poker is just easy to learn. All you need to do is present your highest possible hand after the two initial cards are dealt in the table and you would win the game! In Texas Hold’Em the action is started by making the two players to the left of the dealer put in a forced bet, called a “blind” before the deal. It's called a blind because you haven't seen a card when you put in this bet - you're going in without seeing, or blind.

• Texas Hold'em Poker How To Deal
• Texas Holdem Poker Dealer
• How To Deal Texas Holdem Poker For Dummies
• How To Deal Texas Holdem Poker
• How To Deal Texas Holdem Poker Videos

Table Of Contents

If you want to learn how to play Texas hold'em games, then you need to start from the basic rules and hands. That's exactly what you'll find on this beginner's guide to the game.

Texas hold'em is a simple poker game, but it can be daunting to get to grips with.

But don't let that put you off. By the time you are down with this beginner's guide to Texas hold'em, you will know:

1. What Is Texas Hold'em Poker?

Texas Hold'em is the most popular of all poker variations.

All of the marquee tournaments around the world (including those played at the World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour, the and the European Poker Tour) feature the no-limit variation of this game.

Texas hold'em is so popular that is the only poker game many players will ever learn.

It takes a moment to learn, but a lifetime to master.

Discovering how to play Texas hold'em poker is not difficult and the simplicity of its rules, gameplay, and hand-ranking all contribute to the popularity of the game.

However, don't let the simplicity of the game mislead you.

The number of possible situations and combinations is so vast that Texas hold'em can be an extremely complex game when you play at the highest levels.

If you are approaching the game of Texas hold'em for the first time, starting from the basic rules of the game is key. Not only these are the easiest ones to learn, but they are also essential to understand the gameplay and, later on, the game's basic strategy.

These are the best sites to play free games of Texas hold'em online. Use your e-mail address to register and sit at the free tables to play!

2. Texas Hold'em Rules

So how do you play Texas hold'em?

The goal of a Texas hold'em game is to use your hole card and in combination with the community cards to make the best possible five-card poker hand.

Hold'em is not unlike other poker games like five-card draw.

However, the way players construct their hands in Texas hold'em is a little different than in draw poker.

It's always possible a player can 'bluff' and get others to fold better hands.

• In a game of Texas hold'em, each player is dealt two cards face down (the 'hole cards')
• Throughout several betting rounds, five more cards are (eventually) dealt face up in the middle of the table
• These face-up cards are called the 'community cards.' Each player is free to use the community cards in combination with their hole cards to build a five-card poker hand.

While we will see each betting round and different phase that forms a full hand of a Texas hold'em game, you should know that the five community cards are dealt in three stages:

• The Flop: the first three community cards.
• The Turn: the fourth community card.
• The River:The fifth and final community card.

Your mission is to construct your five-card poker hands using the best available five cards out of the seven total cards (the two hole cards and the five community cards).

You can do that by using both your hole cards in combination with three community cards, one hole card in combination with four community cards, or no hole cards.

If the cards on the table lead to a better combination, you can also play all five community cards and forget about yours.

In a game of Texas hold'em you can do whatever works to make the best five-card hand.

If the betting causes all but one player to fold, the lone remaining player wins the pot without having to show any cards.

For that reason, players don't always have to hold the best hand to win the pot. It's always possible a player can 'bluff' and get others to fold better hands.

READ ALSO: Common Poker Tells: How to Read People in Poker

If two or more players make it all of the way to the showdown after the last community card is dealt and all betting is complete, the only way to win the pot is to have the highest-ranking five-card poker hand.

Now that you know the basics of Texas hold'em and you start to begin gaining an understanding of how the game works, it's time to get into some specifics.

These include how to deal Texas hold'em and how the betting works.

Basic Rules Key Takeaways:

• A game of Texas hold'em feature several betting rounds
• Players get two private and up to five community cards
• Unless all players abandon the game before the showdown, you need the highest poker hand to win

How to Play

Let's have a look at all the different key aspects of a Texas hold'em game, including the different positions at the table and the betting rounds featured in the game.

The Button

The play moves clockwise around the table, starting with action to the left of the dealer button.

The 'button' is a round disc that sits in front of a player and is rotated one seat to the left every hand.

When playing in casinos and poker rooms, the player with the dealer button doesn't deal the cards (the poker room hires someone to do that).

In when you play poker home games with friends the player with the button usually deals the hands.

The button determines which player at the table is the acting dealer.

The first two players sitting to the immediate left of the button are required to post a 'small blind' and a 'big blind' to initiate the betting.

From there, the action occurs on multiple streets:

• Preflop
• Flop
• Turn
• River

Each one of these moments (or 'streets' in the game's lingo) is explained further below.

The button determines which player at the table is the acting dealer.

In Texas hold'em, the player on button, or last active player closest to the button receives the last action on all post-flop streets of play.

While the dealer button dictates which players have to post the small and big blinds, it also determines where the dealing of the cards begin.

The player to the immediate left of the dealer button in the small blind receives the first card and then the dealer pitches cards around the table in a clockwise motion from player to player until each has received two starting cards.

READ ALSO: Poker Positions Explained: the Importance of Position in Poker

The Blinds

Before every new hand begins, two players at the table are obligated to post small and big blinds.

The blinds are forced bets that begin the wagering.

Without these blinds, the game would be very boring because no one would be required to put any money into the pot and players could just wait around until they are dealt pocket aces (AA) and only play then.

The blinds ensure there will be some level of 'action' on every hand.

In tournaments, the blinds are raised at regular intervals. In cash games, the blinds always stay the same.

In tournaments, the blinds are raised at regular intervals.

• As the number of players keeps decreasing and the stacks of the remaining players keep getting bigger, it is a necessity that the blinds keep increasing throughout a tournament. [*]In cash games, the blinds always stay the same.

The player directly to the left of the button posts the small blind, and the player to his or her direct left posts the big blind.

The small blind is generally half the amount of the big blind, although this stipulation varies from room to room and can also be dependent on the game being played.

In a '$1/$2' Texas holdem game, the small blind is $1 and the big blind is $2.

First Betting Round: Preflop

The first round of betting takes place right after each player has been dealt two hole cards.

The first player to act is the player to the left of the big blind.

This position referred to as 'under the gun' because the player has to act first. The first player has three options:

• Call: match the amount of the big blind
• Raise: increase the bet within the specific limits of the game
• Fold: throw the hand away

If the player chooses to fold, he or she is out of the game and no longer eligible to win the current hand.

Players can bet anywhere from the amount of the big blind (the minimum bet allowed) up to the total amount in the current pot.

The amount a player can raise to depends on the game that is being played.

In a game of no-limit Texas hold'em, the minimum opening raise must be at least twice the big blind, and the maximum raise can be all of the chips a player has in his or her stack (an 'all-in' bet).

There are other betting variations in hold'em poker.

In fixed-limit hold'em (or just 'limit hold'em), a raise is always exactly twice the big blind.

In pot-limit hold'em (played much less often than the other variations), players can bet anywhere from the amount of the big blind (the minimum bet allowed) up to the total amount in the current pot.

After the first player ('under the gun') acts, the play proceeds in a clockwise fashion around the table with each player also having the same three options — to call, to raise, or fold.

Once the last bet is called and the action is 'closed,' the preflop round is over and play moves on to the 'flop.'

Second Betting Round: The Flop

After the first preflop betting round has been completed, the first three community cards are dealt and a second betting round follows involving only the players who have not folded already.

A check simply means to pass the action to the next player in the hand.

In this betting round (and subsequent ones), the action starts with the first active player to the left of the button.

Along with the options to bet, call, fold, or raise, a player now has the option to 'check' if no betting action has occurred beforehand.

A check simply means to pass the action to the next player in the hand.

Again betting continues until the last bet or raise has been called (which closes the action).

It also can happen that every player simply chooses not to be and checks around the table, which also ends the betting round.

Third Betting Round: The Turn

Call – match the amount of the big blind

The fourth community card, called the turn, is dealt face-up following all betting action on the flop.

Once this has been completed, another round of betting occurs, similar to that on the previous street of play.

Again players have the option to options to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.

Final Betting Round: The River

Fold – throw the hand away

The fifth community card, called the river, is dealt face-up following all betting action on the turn.

Once this has been completed, another round of betting occurs, similar to what took play on the previous street of play.

Once more the remaining players have the option to options to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.

After all betting action has been completed, the remaining players in the hand with hole cards now expose their holdings to determine a winner. This is called the showdown.

The Showdown

Players construct their hands by choosing the five best cards from the seven available

The remaining players show their hole cards, and with the assistance of the dealer, a winning hand is determined.

The player with the best combination of five cards wins the pot according to the official poker hand rankings.

3. The Hands in Texas Hold'em

These hand rankings aren't specifically part of Texas hold'em rules, but apply to many different poker games.

• Royal Flush — five cards of the same suit, ranked ace through ten; e.g., A♥K♥Q♥J♥10♥
• Straight Flush — five cards of the same suit and consecutively ranked; e.g., 9♣8♣7♣6♣5♣
• Four of a Kind — four cards of the same rank; e.g., Q♣Q♥Q♦Q♠4♦
• Full House — three cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g., J♣J♥J♠8♦8♥
• Flush — any five cards of the same suit; e.g., A♠J♠8♠5♠2♠
• Straight — any five cards consecutively ranked; e.g., Q♣J♦10♥9♠8♦
• Three of a Kind — three cards of the same rank; e.g., 8♣8♠8♦K♣4♥
• Two Pair — two cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g., A♠A♣J♦J♣7♠
• One Pair — two cards of the same rank; e.g., 10♥10♣9♥4♦2♦
• High Card — five unmatched cards; e.g., A♣J♦10♠5♣2♥ would be called 'ace-high'

Players construct their hands by choosing the five best cards from the seven available (their two hole cards and the five community cards).

If the board is showing 9♣5♠K♦3♠A♥, a player with the two hole cards 9♠ would have two pair (aces and nines) and would lose to a player who has 9♦9♥ for three of a kind (three nines).

Learning hold'em poker begins with understanding how hands are dealt and the order of play as described above.

Of course, learning Texas hold'em rules is just the beginning, as the next step is to learn strategy which involves understanding what constitutes good starting hand selection, the odds and probabilities associated with the game, the significance of position and getting to act last during those post-flop betting rounds, and many other aspects of the game.

4. How to Play Texas Hold'em Games Online

Now that you know how Texas Hold'em works, it's time to put the theory into practice and play your first games.

The best way to start playing Texas Hold'em is to start from these free poker games available online and then move up to the real money action only when you feel comfortable enough to do so.

All the 'must-have poker rooms' below offer free games to practice online.

If you are completely new to the game, you should go for play money options, first. These risk-free games with fake money are an excellent way to familiarise with the different moments of play and the betting rounds.

The play money games are a great way to learn more about the hand rankings and begin to read the board fast enough to take all the right decisions at the right time.

After that, you should more to the poker freerolls. These are free poker tournaments with actual prizes on tap that range from free money to free entries into more expensive real money games.

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I just wrote a blog post about increasing your chances of winning at Blackjack, and I thought, you know what, this would make a great series of posts!

So, now I’m writing a post about how to increase your chances of winning at Texas holdem.

The good news is that the casino doesn’t care if you win at Texas holdem or lose at Texas holdem.

The house isn’t banking the game, so you don’t have to deal with beating the casino.

The bad news is that you still need to beat your competitors at the table. Here are some tips on how to do that:

Tighten Up

If you’re not winning often enough at Texas holdem to break even or show a small profit, you probably need to tighten up. Some of the more experienced poker players reading this might think they’re playing tight enough already, but if that’s true, why aren’t you winning enough to break even?

If you’re a beginner, you might not even know what I mean when I suggest you “tighten up.”

This way you’ll be putting your money in the pot when you have a better probability of winning the pot.

It’s important that you have a gas pedal and brakes, too.

You might have a super hand preflop, but if the flop doesn’t fit your hole cards at all, you should be ready to get away from the hand before it’s too late to get out.

This doesn’t mean you have to lay down and die every time you don’t get a perfect flop. You can still make continuation bets against weak opponents.

Winning in the long run in poker rooms and Texas Holdem poker sites means losing less money on pots you probably weren’t going to win.

Saving a few dollars is just as important as winning a few dollars.

Bet and Raise More Often

The next step is get more aggressive – this means betting and raising more often.

If you’re playing tight, you usually have strong hands.

When you bet and raise with those strong hands, you do 2 things to help you increase your chances of winning:

1. You get more money in the pot when you have a better chance of winning a showdown.
2. You pick up money from the pot when all your opponents fold.

This means that if you have strong cards, and you’re the first one in the pot, you should bet instead of check.

I’ve read a book recently by Ed Miller where he suggests that tight aggressive players always fold when raised to. I don’t think most tight aggressive players play that simply at all.

But most players who aren’t winning enough are playing too many hands, and they’re playing the hands they are playing too passively.

If you don’t feel good enough about your hand to raise with it, you really don’t need to be calling with it, either.

I’ve seen at least one person describe a tight aggressive strategy as being a “raise or fold” strategy.

That’s not quite right, but it’s closer to optimal than you’re probably playing right now.

Semi-Bluff More Often

I laughed at a friend of mine who’s loose aggressive not long ago because he told me, “Bluffing is an essential part of the game.”

Bluffs work best when you’re bluffing against 1 or 2 opponents.

A better option – for most players – is to learn how to semi-bluff.

A semi-bluff is a bet or a raise you make with a hand that probably isn’t ahead, but it has the possibility of winning on a later round.

The classic example is on the flop in a Texas holdem game when you have 4 cards to a flush and you’re facing a single opponent who you think has a medium pair.

He’s ahead of you, but you get 2 more cards.

Texas Hold'em Poker How To Deal

If you bet into this pot, he might fold. You’ll win the pot right there and then.

But some of the time, he’ll call.

When he does, you have about a 1 in 3 probability of winning at the showdown by hitting your flush.

Most beginners know what bluffing is, but they don’t know what a semi-bluff is and don’t semi-bluff often at all.

It should be a go-to move for a Texas holdem player.

Play within Your Bankroll

You should have enough money set aside to play Texas holdem with that you’re not stressed out about every bet on every hand. Scared money always loses.

This depends, in part, on your goals as a player.

If you’re just playing recreationally, and you don’t care about the money, it’s okay to play with a smaller bankroll than you would play with if you were trying to play professionally.

Texas Holdem Poker Dealer

The idea behind bankroll management in poker is that you want to avoid going broke because you had a run of bad luck.

This means not playing in games where the bankroll is more than 5% (or 2%) of your total bankroll. In some cases – if you’re conservative – it might mean having 150 times your buy-in as a bankroll.

Most experts agree that the bankroll requirements for a sit-n-go tournament player are different from the bankroll requirements for a multi-table tournament player.

If you want to make optimal poker decisions, you need to have a big enough bankroll that you’re willing to bet and raise when you have a small edge.

Pay Attention

I’ve known a lot of ABC poker players who don’t pay attention to hands they’re not playing in. Once they’ve folded, they just watch television or daydream.

How To Deal Texas Holdem Poker For Dummies

If you’re going to increase your chances of winning at poker, you need to pay attention to how your opponents play the game.

Every hand they provide you with information about their playing tendencies, whether you’re paying attention or not.

If you have an opponent who raises every time he sees a flop, you won’t know his tendency unless you’ve been paying attention to how he plays.

In fact, most opponents aren’t this predictable. You should pay attention to your opponents’ ranges.

Do they bet into the pot 50% of the time? 70% of the time?

What do they do most of the time on the turn and the river?

Understanding these tendencies is critical to winning against such opponents.

Read a Book (Or Several)

Some poker players are naturals and learn everything they need to know at the table.

Reading Harrington on Holdem isn’t going to do anything but improve your game, no matter how much experience you have at the table.

At least read David Sklansky’s Theory of Poker.

You can pay for tutoring and coaching. You can even buy a MasterClass membership and learn from Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey.

How To Deal Texas Holdem Poker

I lost at poker big-time and consistently until I started reading books about the game. The first book about poker I ever read was Andy Bellin’s Poker Nation, which isn’t the best strategy guide ever.

But for a beginner, it was a lifesaver.

Take Care of Your Health

This probably sounds like some frou-frou hippy-dippy nonsense, but if you take better care of your health, you’ll make better decisions at the poker table.

This means drinking enough water, eating a variety of nutritious food, getting enough rest, and exercising regularly.

A Texas holdem player isn’t an athlete in the traditional sense, but a strong mind resides in a strong body – so do what you need to do to keep your body healthy and strong.

Some very talented poker players have destroyed their poker careers and their lives by abusing drugs and alcohol. Read about Stu Ungar if you want a specific example.

How To Deal Texas Holdem Poker Videos

Conclusion

You increase your chances of winning at Texas holdem by becoming a more skilled player.

At lower stakes, this probably just means folding more often and betting or raising more often than you’re doing now.

When you start playing for higher stakes, it will take more effort to be a winner.

But it’s worth the hard work.