LESSON 1: BASICS

Texas Hold'em
Although there are literally hundreds of different variations of poker played today – some with colorful names such as Razz, Guts, and Anaconda – one form in particular has taken the poker world by storm in recent years: Texas Hold'Em. Although one of the simpler poker permutations, the game (known simply as hold'em) has enjoyed spectacular popularity in casinos, home games, and even on TV, and it is the game that we discuss here.

Hand Rankings
Hold'em is a game where each player tries to make the best possible 5-card hand. The first thing you need to know about hold'em is the ranking of possible hands. Here they are in descending order:

Royal Flush



Straight Flush (any five consecutive cards of the same suit)



Four of a Kind



A Full House (3 of a kind and a pair)



Flush (all cards the same suit)



Straight (5 consecutive cards; Aces can be high or low)



Three of a Kind



Two Pair



One Pair



No Pair

As you can guess this is not a good hand in hold'em, but sometimes a player with just Ace-high can win a hand.


Rules

In Hold'em every player is dealt 2 cards facedown, and 5 cards are dealt in the middle of the table, which are ‘community cards' that all of the players can use. Each player tries to make the best 5-card hand using any combination of his two face-down cards, and the 5 cards face up in the middle.

Limit vs. No-Limit Poker

There are 2 versions of Hold'em poker: limit and no-limit. The rules are identical in every respect, with the only difference being that in no-limit poker, each player can choose to bet as little, or as much money as he has in front of him at the table, whereas in limit hold'em, the betting limits are capped at various limits.

No-limit poker can be very exciting, and can lead to some very big pots when players sit down with a lot of money. For the majority of these pages, however, we will use a $2 / $4 limit game for our examples.

Betting Structure

Hold'em is usually played at tables of 9 or 10 players (although can be played with as few as two). Before any cards are dealt, the two players to the left of the dealer are forced to put money into the pot, usually in amounts of 1 times, and one half times the small bet -- so $1 and $2 in our "$2 / $4 game", respectively known as the small and big blinds (so named since the players must put in money without even seeing their first two cards).

The dealer spot (known as the "button") moves one player to the left after every hand, so that all players take turns being forced to post the blind bets.

Each player is dealt his two face-down cards, and a round of betting ensues, commencing with the player to the left of the big blind. Players may bet $2 or raise in increments of $2 before the flop. After all players have acted in turn, 3 cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table (known as the "flop").

There is now a second betting round, this time commencing with the small blind immediately to the left of the dealer. The betting is once again in increments of $2. After this betting round, a 4th card is dealt face up in the middle of the table (called the "turn"), and another betting round ensues. A 5th and final card is dealt face up on the table (called the "river"), and a final round of betting occurs. Note that the betting rounds that take place after the 4th and 5th cards are in increments double those bet after the flop. In our $2 / $4 game players must bet $4 (or raise to $8) after the turn and river cards.

After the final round of betting is complete, those players who remain turn their cards face-up, and the pot is won by the player with the best hand.

Reading the Board

One of the first skills that any poker player must develop is the ability to look at the community cards, and determine what the best hand is that he can make (and also consider what hands his opponents might be able to make).

There are many times when the answer might not immediately be apparent, and remember that the best possible hand changes as the flop, turn, and river cards are dealt. A few examples will help. Let's say the 5 community cards are:



The best possible 2 cards a player could hold are the other two Aces (for 4 of a kind), the second best hand would be an Ace and a Ten (for a full house, Aces full of Tens), followed by Ace-Seven, Ace-Three, Ten-Ten, Seven-Seven, Three-Three, and so on. Note that with these 5 cards, no one could have either a flush or a straight. How about the following board:



The best possible 2 cards a player could hold would be a King and a Queen to make a straight, followed by an 8 and a 9 for a lower straight, followed by two Aces (for 3 of a kind), and so on. Last example for now:



Many, many very good hands are possible with this board. A player with two Fives will have four of a kind. There are also many full house possibilities (i.e. Ace-Ace, Ten-Ten, Five-Four, etc.).

Also notice that with 3 clubs on the board, a player could have two more clubs in his hand for a flush. Did you also catch that a player with a Two and a Three would have a low straight? This is what's called a "dangerous" board. If there is heavy betting after all 5 community cards have been dealt, it is likely that at least one player has one of the above strong hands.

Next Lesson: Pre-Flop Play>>