So you have heard about this new popular form of poker, Texas Hold ‘Em.  And you want to know all about it, right?  When you learn all about Texas Hold ‘Em, you will be able to impress your friends with an incredible game and may be able to win some money!  Without further ado, let us get started.

Learning Texas Hold ‘Em is not hard.  It should take you about 15 minutes to get the basics down, and you will be a professional in no time.  Here are the basic rules.

·         The two players to the left of the dealer put up blind bets.  The player on the direct left of the dealer puts up the small blind, and the other places the big blind bet.  If you don’t know what blinds are, relax, we’ll cover those in a second.

·         Each player is dealt two cards, face down.  These are the player’s cards, and are called the hole or pocket cards.

·         The first move begins with the player to the left of the player who placed the big blind bet, and he or she has the option to raise the bet, call, or fold.  Betting will continue in a clockwise manner until everyone is finished.

·         Now, three cards are dealt face up in the center of the table.  This is known as the flop.  These three cards will be used by every player in conjunction with their two cards in the hole, to make the best hand.

·         Betting will begin with the person to the left of the dealer and continue until all players have had a chance to make their choices.  You have the option to check, which means you will not bet; however, to stay in the game, you must call when someone does bet.

·         Another card, the turn, is placed face up on the table.  Another round of betting.

·         The fifth and final card, the river, is placed face up on the table.  A final round of betting occurs, and the winner is declared with a show of hands.

In the event that a good hand, for instance, three of a kind shows up on the board, then all players split the pot. 

Now, if you wanted to learn about the blind bets you place in the beginning of the hand—here’s what you need to know.  Blinds are forced bets, because you must place them before seeing the cards.  Before you begin play, you will determine with the other players a minimum bet.  The small blind can be the minimum bet, or a portion of the minimum bet.  The big blind can either be equal to, or larger than the minimum bet.  All that matters is that the bets are different.  These blinds will move from person to person as you move through hands, so everyone will get a chance.

Now you have the basics of Texas Hold ‘Em down, and you can start playing right away.  You will quickly learn which hands are the best and worse to use and play.