24/7 Support

About Us

Join the 1917Poker revolution - the best online poker action is here!

Texas Hold'em

Home > Rules > Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em Poker is the most popular community-card game to date. Texas Hold'em tables contains from 2 to 10 players. At the start of each hand you see a button with a letter "D" on the table in front of one of the players. It is called the "Dealer Button", and it moves clockwise from player to player with each hand. The Button marks which player will be the dealer.

- Game begins with the two players to the left of the "Dealer Button" putting a predetermined amount of money (the Blinds) into the pot before any cards are dealt. This ensures that every winning hand will win money. In tournaments, Blinds are increased in a time pattern in order to ensure the elimination of players. The player on the immediate left of the "Dealer Button", called the "Small Blind" puts up half the minimum bet, and the player on his left, called the "Big Blind", puts up the full minimum bet.

The Deal: - After the Blinds, each player is dealt two cards, face down, these are called the "Hole Cards" or "Pocket Cards". The Hole Cards must stay on the table but may be viewed at any time during the hand. In online poker rooms your Hole Cards will appear face-up on your screen, but only you can see them.

First Betting Round: - First round of betting starts from the player to the left of the "Big Blind" and continues in a clockwise direction around the table. Each player can Call - , Raise - or Fold - .

Call: - The player places a bet that is equal to the Big Blind.

Raise: - This is when a player increases the bet. The size of the increased bet varies with the type of game being played. In Limit Games it is a fixed amount and may be limited after a set number of rounds. There are normally four rounds online. In Pot Limit games the raise cannot be larger than the amount currently in the Pot. During No Limit games it may be any amount, limited only by the number of chips the player owns.

Fold: - Fold. The player cannot take further part in the hand and any bets he has made are forfeited.

The Flop: - After the first betting round, three cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table. These cards are called the Flop. These are "Community Cards" that can be used by all the players to create their hand.

Second Betting Round: - The second round of betting is carried out exactly as the first betting round. However, in addition to Calling, Raising or Folding, the player now has the option to "Check." This means that player can stay in the hand without betting until it is their turn to speak again. Once the bet has been made the player may choose to Call or Raise. If he chooses neither to Call or Raise, he must Fold.

The Turn: - After the Second Betting Round, an additional "Community Card" is dealt face-up in the center of the table. This is called the "Turn Card".

Third Betting Round: - The third round of betting is carried out the same way as the first and the second one, with one exception: raising is only possible only by the higher table stake.

The River: - After the Third Betting Round, the final "Community Card" is dealt face-up. It is called the "River Card".

Fourth Betting Round: - This final round of betting is carried out just like the third one. This round precedes the Showdown, when the challenged player must reveal his cards.

Showdown: - After the final Fourth Betting Round, the best five-card hand wins the pot. Both the pocket cards and the community cards can be used to make up a five-card hand. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. If multiple players show the identical best hand, the pot is split between those players. If you do not want to show your losing hand, you can Muck, which means that you give up your hand and lose the pot.