In This Chapter

Understanding the basics
Taking a deeper look
Starting hands
Getting to know the ins and outs of raising
Playing the flop
Playing the turn
Playing the river
Knowing what to do if you make your draw
Making smart moves when the pot gets big

Basic Rules

In Hold'em, two cards are dealt face down to each player, and a round of bet- ting takes place. On the first round, players may either call or raise the blind bet, or they must fold their hand. Most casinos allow a bet and three or four raises per betting round, with one exception: When only two players contest the pot there is no limit on the number of raises permitted.
When the first round of betting is complete, three communal cards, called the flop, are turned face up in the center of the table. That's followed by another round of betting. On this and each succeeding round, players may check if no one has bet when it is their turn to act. If there is no bet, a player may check or bet. If there is a bet, players may fold, call, raise, or reraise.
A fourth communal card - called the turn - is then exposed. Another round of betting takes place. Then the fifth and final community card - known as the river - is placed in the center of the table followed by the last round of betting. The best five-card poker hand using any combination of a player's two private cards and the five communal cards is the winner.
That's all there is to the play of the game. Yet within this simplicity lies an ele- gance and sophistication that makes Texas Hold'em the most popular form of poker in the world.
Before cards are dealt, the first two players to the left of the dealer position are required to post blind bets, which are used instead of antes to stimulate action. (Those two players post their bets before they see any cards and, thus, are "blind.")
In a $10-$20 Hold'em game, blinds are usually $5 and $10. Each blind is con- sidered live. Because blinds represent a forced, first bet, the blind bettors can raise (but only on the first round) once the betting has gone around the table and it is their turn to act again.
Unlike Stud, where position is determined by each player's exposed cards, referred to as his board, the player with the dealer button (see the section "Position, position, and position," later in this chapter) acts last in every round of betting - with the exception of the first one.
Hold'em in General

While Hold'em is exciting, exhilarating, and enjoyable, you should know something before diving in and plunking your money down - even if you are playing the lowest-limit game in the house. This section offers a few of those somethings we wish we had known when first making the transition from Seven-Card Stud to Texas Hold'em.

Full chapter only in the printed book