Learning how to play Texas Poker is not that difficult, the game mechanics are quite simple, and besides, this is the easiest and most popular option. The main goal of the game is to collect a strong combination of cards and take the pot.. It is more difficult for beginners to learn the nuances, terms, combinations, game progress, trading circles. A lot of questions often arise: how is the winning formed, who makes the first move, how many combinations and which one is older, how to resolve disputes, what are the flop, turn and river? And other difficulties. In fact, it will be difficult only at first, with each new hand the user learns the rules of Texas Hold'em more and more, learns to do all the actions “on the machine”.

Each hand in poker usually lasts no more than five minutes, during which time the players determine the winner and manage to make many moves. Inside one hand (as the distribution is called differently), there are the following elements:

• collection of winning combinations;
• placing initial bids;
• trading circles and bank formation;
• determination of the winner.

These are the highlights of one round, within a game session there can be several hundred or even thousands of hands. Let's analyze these rules of Texas Poker in more detail.

Hold'em combinations

The most important part, it is around the collection of combinations that the whole game is built, in poker Hold'em the rules state that the one who can collect the strongest combination, takes the whole bank. The combinations are listed below in ascending order of precedence.

1. senior card. In another way, a kicker. Five cards in random order, not related to each other in any way. If all participants do not have any combination, then the leader is determined by the highest card.
2. Pair. First combination. Consists of 2 cards linked to each other by the same denomination. Since any combination must consist of five elements, three more act as kickers, they are needed to determine the winner in disputable situations.
3. Two pairs. Two pairs of cards with the same denomination. In Texas Hold'em poker, the rules state that the seniority of the combination is taken into account from the highest par value Pair. For example, two kings and two tens will beat two queens and two jacks.
4. Set. Three cards that have the same value. Two kickers complete the combination.
5. Straight. Opens combinations in which there is no kicker. Five cards in ascending order of denomination. All suits must be different (if they are the same, this is a different, stronger combination). Combination allowed ace,2,3,4,5.
6. Flash. Five cards of the same suit of any value. Seniority is determined by the face value of the highest card in hand. Suits in poker are all equivalent.
7. Full house. The combination is assembled from a Set and a Pair, that is, three cards of the same value and two more. The rules of Texas Hold'em state that the hand with the higher value of the Set is higher.
8. Kare. Four cards that have the same rank. There is also one kicker here.
9. Straight Flush. Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
10. Royal Flush. Royal set. Five cards from 10 to Ace of the same suit. Drops out extremely rarely.

Before you study in depth the rules of Texas Hold'em poker, you need to remember the combinations by heart. Without this, it is undesirable to sit down at the table, especially in offline mode. When playing via the Internet, it is better to print the combinations and keep them with you, at least for the first time.

Starting bets and start of the game

After learning the combinations, you can sit down at the table and play the first few rounds. Practice will allow you to quickly and better remember the rules of the Texas poker game, how the draw goes, how much the winner is entitled to, who becomes the leader and other components.

It is allowed to sit at the gaming table from two to as many people as you like, the main thing is that everyone needs two pocket cards and five common ones on the field. The rooms accept formats of 2.5 and 9 participants.

In Texas Hold'em, the rules of the game require that two opponents bet small and big blinds. These are mandatory bets designed to stir up the interest of the participants, as well as a guarantee that the winner in any case will receive at least the minimum amount.

The big blind is always equal to the minimum possible bet of the table, the minimum is half of it.

All players must take turns posting the big and small blinds. The move in each round is passed in a circle, according to the clockwise movement, so as not to confuse the order, there is a button chip on the table - a special element with a pointer. Hold'em poker rules state that in the very first hand, the starting bets are made by two players sitting to the left of the croupier.

Then the direct distribution of cards and betting circles begins, further Hold'em rules on betting circles and bank formation will be considered in the next chapter.

Trading circles and bank formation

The first bets are made, now the croupier starts the distribution. According to the rules of the game in Hold'em, cards are dealt clockwise, starting with the player sitting to the left of the dealer. Everyone receives two cards in their hands, they are not shown to opponents, after looking at them, the participants decide on their further moves.

The player who made the small blind is the first to say his word, several actions are available to him:

• Call. In the rules of Texas Hold'em is the designation Col. That is, the player calls the bet to the big blind.
• Reset. Designation fold. Throw cards and exit the current hand, losing the small blind.
• Boost. Designation Raise. The player can increase the big blind by the amount stipulated by the table limit.
• All in. Designation All-in. Put all your chips on the line. Allowed only in the no-limit version of the game.

The last move belongs to the big blind, he is allowed one more action - Check, that is, to miss without betting anything in the pot, but on the condition that no one made a Raise.

First round - flop. The croupier puts three cards on the table, they are considered common, they can be seen by all participants and used to make combinations. In Texas poker, the rules of the game for dummies provide that a new round of betting begins, the possible actions of the players are described above.

Second round - turn. The fourth card is laid out on the table. A new round of betting begins, already at this round, most of the opponents throw out their cards and leave the game.

Third round - river. The number of community cards reaches five, the participants open the final round of betting. In Texas poker, the rules stipulate that at this stage the final pot is formed, which will go to the winner.

Determination of the winner and disputes

If there are several opponents left in the game, they produce showdown - opening cards and comparing the collected combinations. Whoever has the strongest combination will take all the winnings for himself. This is where the ambiguous moments arise, in which beginners get confused, in the rules of Texas Hold'em poker, disputes are resolved quite simply.

1. Two or more poker players turned out to have the same combination in terms of strength. In this case, the rank of the cards that make up the combination is taken into account. For example, a Flush with a king will beat a Flush with a ten. A pair of nines will be stronger than a pair of threes, and so on. If the set base is the same, kickers will count.
2. The combination of cards turned out to be completely the same for two or more opponents, Texas Holdem rules interpret this situation in favor of all participants. In this case, all applicants are declared winners, and the bank goes to them in equal parts.
3. In Texas Holdem poker, the rules allow for a situation where all five community cards on the table, if they form any combination, are counted by all players. In this case the bank is divided equally.
4. If one of the participants goes all-in, and the other cannot call him, then side pots are created. The point is that there will be several pots at stake. For the number of chips that the player could not equalize, he cannot claim. They go to the participant who has collected the second most powerful combination. It will not work to consider all the subtleties of these Hold'em rules; it is easier to understand them directly during the game.

These are the main controversial points that cause difficulties for beginners. The best way to understand all the nuances - constantly practice at the gaming table, even if it is an ordinary simulator of interest.

Limits in Hold'em Poker

The last aspect to consider in the rules of Texas Hold'em poker for beginners is - limits. Each table has certain restrictions regarding the betting of players in the betting circles, in total there are three draw options.

• Unlimited. This means that each player, regardless of the current round, bank and other indicators, has the right to put any amount on the line. It is allowed to go for broke at any stage, the other participants are obliged to support this move, or refuse to fight. Today it is the most popular version of the game.
• Limit. In Limit Hold'em, the rules limit the size of bets within a strictly allotted range. This means that the player cannot go beyond the established limits. For example, a $10/$20 table means that the minimum bet is $10 and the maximum bet is $20. There is no talk of any all-in here. The rarest variant of the game.
• Pot limit. The size of bets here depends solely on the bank, how many chips are in it at the current moment of the betting round, and how much the player is allowed to bet. For example, if there is $100 in the bank, then the participant can put up the same amount. All-in is not allowed. The second most popular version of the game.

As you can see, the rules of Texas Hold'em poker are not as complicated as it seems at first glance. The main thing is to keep practicing. And at first, carry a cheat sheet with you so as not to confuse anything.

The goal of this most popular type of poker, like all others, is to make a combination of five cards (hands) during the game that is stronger than that of opponents. Card combinations in poker are the same for all its varieties and their description and ranking by strength is on the page " Poker combinations". But don't rush to deal with them, let's first take a look at the basic rules of the game.

So, very briefly, the essence hold'em rules can be easily reduced to the following phrase: “each player is dealt two hole cards and in the process of bidding another 5 common open cards are laid out on the table. Whose combination of 5 cards (any 5 cards from 2 personal closed and 5 common open cards) is the strongest, he takes the pot. That's it, it's that simple! Game details are below.

The process of playing Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is played by two to ten people with a regular full deck of 52 cards.

In a casino, as a rule, the cards are dealt by the dealer or the croupier, and when there are none, the dealer is determined by a special chip - the button. Before each new hand, the button is passed clockwise around the table. The player sitting (clockwise) behind the dealer is called the "Small Blind" (SB), the one behind him is the "Big Blind" (BB).

Both Blinds form the initial prize fund of the game even before the cards are dealt as follows: the Small Blind must put into the game bank a bet equal to half the minimum bet or 10% of the maximum, and the Big Blind - twice as much. The BB places the full minimum bet or 20% of the maximum. By the way, the name "blind" is "tracing paper" from the English word blind, which means "blind", - the blinds make bets blindly, not yet knowing which cards will fall out.

First betting round - preflop

After the Blinds have placed their bets, the dealer deals clockwise, starting from the Small Blind, 2 hole cards to each player. When the cards are dealt, the first round of betting begins - preflop. There are four rounds in total - preflop, flop, turn and river.

Trading is carried out in strict order, and this circumstance gives an advantage to those players who will be the last to make decisions. They already know what decision other players have made, and this indirectly speaks of the strength of their cards. In order to level this superiority, they came up with the idea of ​​transferring the button to the next player in a clockwise direction before each new distribution.

Since the Small and Big Blinds have already participated in the trade and made their bets, preflop trading begins with the third player (he is also called the “under the gun” or utg player). Knowing his 2 cards, the player chooses what is more expedient for him to do from the following alternatives:

• fold (fold, fold) and get out of this distribution and the fight for the pot,
• equalize the previous bet (make a “call”, call) and stay in the game
• increase the previous bet (raise, raise, raise)

If the bet has been raised, subsequent players will have to respond to the raise by either folding, calling (adding missing chips to the pot), or increasing it. A player who has already made the current bet before (for example, the Big Blind in the absence of raises in the time until his turn came) can say "check" (check), which will mean confirmation of his participation in the game and unwillingness to increase.

The main key to understanding the various betting options in Texas Hold'em, as in all other varieties of poker, consists in the fact that each participant must put the same number of chips into the pot. In other words, if after the player has made a bet, the other player not only equalizes the bet, but also raises it, i.e. increases its share of chips in the pot, then everyone who wants to stay in the game will have to at least add the missing number of chips to the pot (equalize the shortfall).

Now is the time to look and remember what combinations of cards are in poker. Note that if several players have collected combinations of the same strength, then the pot is divided equally between them.

Complete rules of Texas Hold'em in the picture

Texas Hold'em Formats

Where to play Texas Hold'em?

All poker rooms described in our poker room review, provides an opportunity to play Hold'em on the terms that suit you best. Formats, bets, opponents, bonuses, prizes - anything and everything. There are a million options to choose from, for every taste!

Have a stable bankroll growth in Texas Hold'em!

The game involves a deck of 52 cards from deuce to ace in each of the four suits. The highest card in the suit is an ace, the lowest is a deuce, and the ace plays as the highest or lowest card.

• The Flop bet is equal to double the Ante bet.
• "Turn" and "River" bets are equal to "Ante".

Your account decreases by the amount you wager when you place bets and increases by the amount you win.

Having made bets in accordance with the rules and within the range set for this table, confirm your intention with these bets by clicking on the “Deal” button.

To start the game round, place a bet in the "Ante" field, after which the dealer will deal two cards to you and two to himself (the dealer's cards are closed).

After looking at your cards, you can place a "Flop" bet to continue playing, or choose not to play by clicking the "Fold" button.

If you choose the “Fold” option, the game stops: the “Ante” bet goes to the house, the dealt cards go to the end.

When choosing "Flop", the dealer deals 3 cards face up on the table. You are invited to make a “Turn” bet or continue the game without an additional bet (“Check”).

The fifth card is dealt face up on the table.

Determination of winning ("Showdown")

The dealer's cards are opened and out of 7 cards (5 on the table and 2 on the dealer's hand) the best five-card combination is determined.

The best five-card poker hand (5 out of 7) is highlighted in your hand and compared to the dealer's hand. If your combination is better, then all your bets except "Ante" are paid 1:1. Otherwise, bets do not count.

The "Ante" bet will be paid 1:1 if you have collected a combination not lower than a Straight.

If both the dealer and you have no combinations, then the higher card wins.

In the event of a tie, all bets are returned to your account ("Push").

Game buttons

• Deal - click on this button to confirm your bets.
• Cancel - click on this button to remove all bets from the playing field.
• Replay - click on this button to repeat the bet you made in the last game.
• Surrender - Click on this button to refuse the Flop bet. The Ante bet does not count towards you.
• Bet - Click on this button to place a "Turn" ("River") bet.
• Check - click on this button to continue the game without the "Turn" ("River") bet.

It will be useful to know when the most widespread (among many others) form of poker in the world appeared. True, there is no reliable information about the date and place of birth of Texas Holdem. There are only conjectures and assumptions.

The most plausible version is that this variety in its modern form came to us from Alaska. The rules were approved in 1900 in the state of Texas, from which the game got its name. But it did not gain its popularity immediately: only after 1969, when the first Texas Holdem tournament was held.

The basic rules of Texas poker: from the number of people to winning combinations

In Hold'em, 2 to 10 people usually sit at one poker table. A deck of fifty-two cards, which is familiar to all poker players, is used. Even before the first distribution, the dealer is determined, to whom the button (large round chip) will go for the next distribution. By the way, the player-dealer does not necessarily deal cards. Online, for example, this is done by the system. Determining the nominal dealer is necessary to determine who will put the blinds - small and big (the size of the latter is usually twice as large as the first). These are the mandatory first bets made by players in the ripe, before the players even see their cards.

Mandatory bets are made by poker players sitting to the left of the dealer. The first one posts the small blind, the second one posts the big blind.

All players at the table receive from the dealer or from the system, if we are talking about online poker, even before the start of the game, but after making left bets, two hole cards each.

Bets are placed, cards are received - the game begins!

Preflop: First round of betting

Everything that happens in the game before the flop appears on the table, namely the first three open community cards, is called preflop. At this time, the players look at the cards received and look for possible scenarios.

The first player to go is the one to the left of the big blind. His position is called "under the gun." This name is easily explained by the not very favorable (one might even say very disadvantageous) position of the player.

What should you do while trading?

• Make a bet. Usually the player with the position "under the gun" has this right. It sets the minimum price bar that other participants will have to pay in order to participate in the game in the future.
• Quit the game. Folding is easy, but don't rush, weigh the pros and cons. If you really understand that you have nothing to count on with the cards you receive, then discard them and do not participate further in the distribution.
• Flatten the bet. Call to put exactly as much into the pot as the previous player put in. For example, if there was a 10-chip bet before you when you called, you can get that much to continue playing.
• Raise your bet. Raise to increase your opponent's bet and raise the price for other players.
• Pass the move. A check is a technique that players can use to pass the move to an opponent. But you can check only if there have been no bets yet.

Trade order

In order for the game to be played in an orderly manner, there are trading rules. Bets are placed clockwise.

In the first round of betting, the one who sits to the left of the big blind starts to bet. Starting from the second circle, the trade is opened by the one sitting to the left of the dealer.

Bets are made, they are collected in one big pile in the center of the table and form a pot, for which further struggle is taking place. After that, the game goes to the next phase - the flop.

Flop: Three cards up

The dealer opens the flop on the table: he puts three community cards face down, which all players at the poker table can already see. They don't belong to anyone. In the future, anyone can use them to make their own winning combination.

For example, let's say you have a Five and a Ten. When the flop appeared on the table common King, Five and Ace. Now you have a combination of a pair of Fives in your hands. But do not rush to draw conclusions, this is not a very strong combination. Perhaps the turn or river will change your position. Which is quite likely!

After the flop, the second round of betting begins. You already know how it goes. Money or chips are added to an existing bank. The game continues.

Turn: fourth card

This card is also dealt face up on the table. It can also be used to create a combination.

Then the auction starts again. And again, all bets made are added to the total pot.

River: the fifth card that can change the course of the game

Thanks to the fifth (last) card, the game can turn in a completely different direction if it helps someone to collect a strong combination.

After the river comes the fourth round of betting, probably the most merciless of all. Since everyone already probably knows their winning combination. It remains to be seen whether she will win or not.

The one who has reached the end in Hold'em participates in the showdown - finding out the best hand.

Showdown - whose hand is stronger?

This is the culmination of the whole game, when the winner is determined. Whoever has the strongest combination of five cards wins. The winner takes the entire pot.

What combinations can be made?

Having learned the rules of Hold'em poker, the player asks quite logical questions: "What combination needs to be collected to win the game?". A poker hand always consists of 5 cards. Not out of three or eight, but out of five. But you are dealt only two cards. The rest must be drawn from the community cards. Of the open cards, you can use only three cards, or you can use all five. It doesn't matter. The main thing is that you know what combination you can win with.

Lots of card combinations. Remembering them all is impossible. But there are ten main ones that you simply need to know if you want to build a successful gaming career.

1. Royal Flush. This is the strongest (one might even say authoritative!) combination in poker. A royal flush is a Ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit.
2. Straight flush. Five cards of the same suit in ascending order. For example, Nine, Ten, Jack, Queen and King. If two players have a straight flush at once, then the one with the higher cards wins in this dispute.
3. Kare. 4 cards of the same value. For example, four Ladies. Or four eights. It's all Kare. In a situation where two players have the same Four of a Kind, the winner is determined by the Kicker - the fifth card in the combination (that's why the fifth card must be present in the combination).
4. Full house. A combination of a Triplet and a Pair (more on these combinations below). If two players have a Full House, then the winner is determined by the seniority of the Triplet. If the Triplet is the same, the victory is determined by the value of the Pair.
5. Flash. 5 cards of the same suit. The order of dignity is not important. It is taken into account only when drawing up a Straight Flush (do you remember what cards it consists of?).
6. Straight. Five, which develops cards of increasing dignity, of different suits.
7. Triplet. To collect this combination, you need to get three cards of the same value.
8. Two pairs. Two pairs consist, oddly enough, of two Pairs (read about the pair below).
9. Pair. 2 cards of the same rank. For example, two Sevens or two Aces.
10. Senior card. This is the weakest hand in poker. When no one has a combination, the winner is determined by the highest card in the hand.

Varieties of Holdem Poker

There are three types of Texas Holdem, depending on which variety you play, the rules will differ.

Hold'em Limit
The size of bets here is limited by a predetermined limit. This type is suitable for beginners, since the intensity of passions at such tables is usually lower. Yes, and bluff does not play an important role. When you enter the poker room, you will see tables where the stakes will have two numerical values. For example, at a $2/4 table, the first two rounds are $2, and the third and fourth are $4. Mathematics is important in limit poker.

Pot Limit Hold'em
As the name implies, this is something between a limit and a no-limit version of the game. Rates are limited by the current value of the bank.

No Limit Hold'em
The size of bets is not limited by anything. You can go for broke at any time. The math is less important. Psychology plays a big role and how a person knows how to restrain his emotions and read the behavior of others. If you are a beginner, wait a little while playing in no-lim. Surely, you will not like the pace of the game and the passions that sometimes boil here.

This is the second part of a series of articles on the rules of the game of poker, or rather, its most popular variety - no limit texas holdem(on the Internet it is sometimes called classical or regular poker). Article data on poker rules will be extremely useful for beginners (dummies) in poker.

You can find the first part at the link How to play poker (Texas Hold'em) - Part 1. This article describes in detail the course and sequence of actions at the poker tables.

The course of the game in Texas poker

Each player at the table when playing Texas Hold'em receives two hole cards (hole cards are often called one word - "hand"). After the cards are dealt, each player has the option to place a bet or leave the game. Exists 4 betting rounds- preflop, flop, turn and river, more about which will be written later in this series of articles. Trading rounds also known as "street". During trading, 5 community cards are laid out on the table in three stages: first the first three, then one, and then one more. Since these are community cards, they can be used by any player at the table to make a poker hand. It turns out that each of the players has seven cards (2 of his own and 5 common), from which he must choose those five cards, the combination of which will give him the strongest possible combination of cards. Depending on the strength of the cards on the table, each player can use one hole card and 4 community cards, both hole cards and 3 community cards, or none of the hole cards at all, but only the community cards of the table. The common cards of the table are used only for making combinations. None of the players can pick them up, but at the same time, for example, 3 players can use the same common card.

For example. There were 3 players in the hand with exactly the same cards - . Imagine that Player 1 has - , Player 2 has - , and Player 3 has - . General cards - . Thus, each of the players will take community cards, thereby making the same combinations - two pairs: kings and queens (more on the combinations will be written a little later in this article).

The winner is the one whose combination of five cards will be the best, or the one who can "knock out" other players from the game with the help of bets and will be left alone at the showdown. After the end of each hand, all players discard the cards and they are shuffled, thus, each hand begins with the distribution of new cards into hands.

Texas Hold'em (poker) rules

Briefly, rules of texas holdem look like this (details will be below in the text):

• The two players to the left of the dealer post the blinds: the small blind and the big blind.
• Each player receives 2 cards face down;
• Betting round follows (preflop);
• Three common cards are placed face up on the table in front of all players (flop cards);
• A round of betting follows (flop);
• Another community card is placed face up on the table (the turn card);
• A round of betting follows (the turn).
• The last community card is placed face up on the table (the river card). Thus, there are 5 community cards face down on the table.
• The last betting round (river) follows.
• If, following the results of trading on the river, more than one person remains in the game, then a showdown (showdown) follows. Players must use any of their two cards in their hand and the 5x total to make 5-card combinations. The pot is taken by the player with the strongest hand.

And now Learn more about Texas Hold'em rules for beginners…

Order of play in the game

Texas Hold'em has its own specific rules for the sequence of actions of players at the poker table:

• Trading at the table always goes clockwise.
• After any player takes one or another action (you will learn about possible actions below in the text of this article), he cannot cancel his decision and the right to move passes to the player following him (again - clockwise), i.e. .e. towards the player to his left.
• In the first round of betting (preflop), the player to the left of the big blind is the first to "speak his word".
• Starting from the second betting round (i.e. on the flop, turn and river), the betting is always "opened" by the player to the left of the dealer (small blind).
• The bets made in each round of betting add up to the pot (it is often called the word "pot" - from the English. Pot - a set of bets), for which there is a struggle.
• The betting round ends when all opponents have made equal bets or folded their cards. Then the game moves on to the next phase of the game - flop, turn, river or showdown.
• If one of the opponents (let's call him Player A) made a bet and his bet was increased by another opponent (let's call him Player B), then Player A in this betting round will have one more opportunity to take an action: fold, call the bet, or raise again .
• If one of the players on one of the streets turned out to have less money than the opponent's bet, then it is considered that he went all-in (from the English. All-in - all-in). In this case, two banks are created - the main and third-party. Both banks are played separately from each other between those players who participated in their formation. Example: on the flop Player A has $10, Player B and Player C have $15. Pot on flop = $20. Player B bets $15 and gets called by Player C. If Player A also calls this bet, there will be 2 pots: main = money that was already in the pot + players betting within the money of the player with the least amount of money: in our case, Player And those. $20 + $10 (Player A) + $10 (Player B) + $10 (Player C) = $50. An additional pot is formed from the difference between all bets and the main pot, i.e. additional pot (side pot) = money that was already in the pot + players' bets - the main pot. In our case = $20 + $15+ $15 + $10 - $50 = $60 - $50 = $10. Player A will claim only the main bank (ie, he invested money only in it), and Player B and Player C will claim the main bank and an additional bank. First, an additional pot is played between Player B and Player C, and then the main one between Player A, Player B and Player C.
• If more than one player has reached the showdown, then the cards are opened and the combinations of players are compared with each other. The bank is taken by the player who has a stronger combination.
• If only one player has reached the showdown, then he takes the entire pot.
• If two or more players have the same strength combinations, the pot is divided equally between these players. (This situation is called a division - from the English split pot - split the bank).

In poker there is rule, according to which the player participates in the game only with the money that he has in the stack ( stack is the number of chips a given player has at the table). You can replenish the stack only between distributions. You cannot take money from the stack - you can only leave the table with this money. As mentioned earlier, if a player runs out of money in the stack during the betting process, he continues to participate in the distribution, but does not take part in further trading, and thus an additional or side pot (or pots) is formed on the table.

Actions of players at the poker table

Each player, depending on the activity of trading, can take one of the following actions:

• Put, or " make a bet"(from English bet) - place a bet;
• Boost, « raise"(from the English. Raise - raise) - increase the bet - bet more than the opponents have put. In other words, raise the previous rate;
• Reraise, « re-raise”(from English Reraise) is an action in trading that raises the bet already increased by the previous player.
• Reply, « call”or“ call ”(from the English. Call - answer) - bet the same amount as the opponent put, i.e. call. In other words, this is an action during the betting when a player delivers (calls) chips up to the size of the previous player's bet;
• Verify, make a check, “check”, “check” (eng. Check - check) - do not increase the bet, leave it “as is”. You can only check when your bet is equal to your opponents' bet, i.e. if no one raised the bid before you in this round of trading. For example, you are sitting in the big blind, one player called, i.e. called your big blind and everyone else folded. In this case, you can check.
• pass, fold, "fold" (eng. Fold - fold) - refuse to further participate in the trade and discard the cards. This is an action during one of the betting rounds when a player intentionally withdraws from a given hand by discarding cards. As a rule, a “pass” (“fold”) is done when a player has “weak” cards with a low probability of matching a winning combination. After discarding the cards, the player loses all the chips that he previously bet in this hand;

Poker bet sizes

In No Limit Texas Hold'em, players can bet any amount in each betting round. However, there is a limit on the minimum bet size. The size of the minimum reraise is calculated according to the formula:

Previous raise size + amount to call

For example, you are playing $1/$2 No Limit Texas Hold'em. You haven't had any raises yet. The minimum raise in this case will be $4 ($2 (which we need to call) + $2 (raise by the value of the previous bet to us, in our example, this is the value of the big blind).

The maximum bet is not limited. If the size of the bet is equal to the entire stack of the player (the stack is the amount of money the player has at the table) - this is called going all-in, or going all-in (all-in).

Rules for playing preflop, flop, turn and river poker. Determination of the winner at the showdown

1. No Limit Texas Hold'em Preflop Poker Rules

Trading between the players participating in the distribution begins immediately after the blinds are set and the cards are dealt to the players. Pre-flop players place bets based only on their own hole cards. Betting starts with the player immediately to the left of the player in the big blind position. Then the right to make a decision alternately passes to the next players in a clockwise direction.

Preflop, a player can do the following:

• Refuse to play your pocket cards and discard your cards, i.e. click on the "Fold" button
• Call the big blind, i.e. click on the "Call" button, and look at the actions of other players at the table
• Raise the bet, i.e. click on the "Raise" button, i.e. bet more than the size of the big blind. Pre-flop players in the blinds are always the last to make decisions. However, on the rest of the streets (betting rounds, i.e. on the flop, turn and river), they decide first.

The question most beginner players ask is, "Why can't I check preflop if I don't want to raise, call, or fold?" The answer is simple - the blinds in No Limit Texas Hold'em count as bets, and no limit texas holdem rules, you cannot continue trading until you have called the bets from the players.

Based on the activity of trading on the preflop, we can draw conclusions about the strength of the hands of opponents. The main task of the preflop game is to determine the strength of your hand relative to the hands of your opponents. Thus, players with strong starting hands need to play aggressively and raise (raise) preflop in order to “knock out” as many opponents with weaker hands as possible directly preflop and prevent them from seeing flop cards. Playing your starting hands aggressively preflop will give you an edge, i.e. initiative. The initiative in Texas Hold'em always rests with the player who last raised preflop.

When all players equalize their bets or fold their cards, the preflop betting round is considered completed. If no one has bet and all players have folded, then the pot (which will consist only of blinds) will be taken by the player in the big blind (denoted as BB). If one of the players makes a bet and no one wants to support it, then this player will take the pot (which will consist of the blinds and his bet). If one of the players makes a bet, and the other player calls it, then the preflop round of betting will be considered completed and the players remaining in the hand will move on to the next round of betting - the flop.

2. Rules for Playing Poker on the Flop in No Limit Texas Hold'em

After the end of the pre-flop betting round, by , the players remaining in the hand get the opportunity to see three common cards, i.e. flop cards. A round of betting with three community cards up is called the flop.

The second and subsequent rounds of betting begin with the player in the small blind position. Starting from the flop, the last word in the betting round always belongs to the dealer, i.e. the player on the button.

The player on the flop can do the following

• Skip the move and do not bet (i.e. click on the "Check" button). Post-flop (i.e., flop, turn and river) each of the players has the right to do so, as long as none of the opponents has made a bet.
• Make a bet (click on the "Raise" button). In No Limit Texas Hold'em, the player chooses the size of the bet, but it must not be less than the size of the big blind. After one of the players made a bet on the flop, the others will no longer be able to skip the move. They must either call, bet more, or fold their cards, giving up further play of their hand.

After the players equalize the bets, the betting on the flop is considered completed. All bets made are added to the total pot, and the players remaining in the hand move on to the next round of betting - the turn.

3. Rules for Playing Poker on the Turn in No Limit Texas Hold'em

After the end of the second betting round (flop), rules of texas holdem, the players remaining in the hand get the opportunity to see another community card - the turn card. A round of betting with four community cards up is called the "turn".

The fourth community card, the turn card, can also be used to make your hand. Players who are still participating in the pot play one more round of betting, the third in a row. Turn Rules the same as on the flop.

Again, all bets made are added to the total pot, and the players remaining in the hand move on to the last round of betting - the river.

4. Rules for playing poker on the river in No-limit Texas Hold'em

After the end of the third round of betting (turn), according to the rules of the Texas Hold'em game, the players remaining in the hand get the opportunity to see one more (last) common card - the river card. A round of betting with five community cards up is called the "river".

The rules for betting on the river are the same as on the flop and turn.

The River is the final, fourth round of betting in No Limit Texas Hold'em. All five community cards are on the table and each player must make one of the combinations using five cards. In total, the player sees seven cards (two "pocket cards" and five "community cards" on the table).

After all players have placed their bets, a showdown takes place and the winner is determined.

5. Determination of the winner of the distribution (showdown, showdown - from the English. Showdown - revealing the cards)

Showdown is the moment of truth when playing No Limit Texas Hold'em (or just poker). At the showdown, players "reveal" their cards and determine which of them has the strongest combination of cards (the strongest hand).

The player can use two of his own and three community cards lying on the table; also, the player can use one of his hole cards and four of the community cards, or in general, all five community cards. It does not change the essence of the matter. The main thing is that exactly five cards known to the player must participate in the final combination - no more, no less.

The player with the strongest hand wins the hand and takes the pot. If one or more players have equal combinations of cards, then these players divide the pot equally among themselves.

In the case when, when playing No Limit Texas Hold'em, none of the players supported the opponent's bet and everyone folded, the pot is automatically won by the player who made the bet last, regardless of the strength of his hole cards, since he is the only player left in the hand. In this case, the player has the right not to show his cards, since no player has supported him and there is no one to compare the strength of his cards with.

It is important to remember that in hold'em, no suit has an advantage over another.

After the winner of this distribution is determined, the next distribution begins. The dealer's "button" button moves clockwise to the next player, and the next two players post blinds and two new hole cards are dealt. That. everything goes back to the preflop stage.

This concludes the second part of a series of articles on poker rules you can finish. If you would like to continue to understand the rules of poker for beginners, please refer to the third part of this series of articles Poker Rules (Texas Hold'em) - Part 3. Poker Hands

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