Playing Texas Hold'em
Texas Hold'em is currently the most popular form of poker. It's
the game that has massively increased the popularity of poker
around the world and is the form of the game you may have seen on
TV. The rules are simple to learn and there is added excitement
over the traditional forms of poker due to the community cards and
the way a hand can develop with a 'turn' and a 'river' card.
The object of Texas Hold'em is to create the best five-card hand
using seven cards.
Texas Hold'em can be played from between 2 and 10 players with a
single deck of 52 cards. Every player is dealt two 'hole cards'.
Each player's aim is to make the best possible hand out of five
cards. Those five cards can come from his private 'hole' cards and
any of the five community cards which are dealt in the middle of
the table face up.
Texas Hold'em - Before the Deal
- Players will buy-in for the posted amount.
- Selected players will post blinds.
The Dealer Button
Unlike Seven Card Stud wherein the dealer deals each opening
round clockwise around the table starting with the player closest
to the left, the dealer in Hold'em will start to deal each game
contingent upon which player has the "button". The button is a
graphical representation ("D") of which player is the "dealer".
Although our dealer will be dealing the Hold'em game, the player
who has the button placed in front of his seat gets to play his
cards as if he were the actual dealer. When the cards are dealt to
players, they are dealt in a manner as if the player was actually
dealing in a live environment.
Hold'em Blinds
Because we have a player "on the button" we now ask two players
to "post the large or small blinds please". The blinds serve a
purpose similar to antes, in that they put forced money into the
pot that gives players an incentive to enter the hand. However,
only two players will "post" or "put up" the blinds.
The first blind is called the "small blind". This bet is usually
half the minimum bet of the game, although in some games, the
fraction is slightly different. In $15-30, the small blind is $7,
and in $5-10, the small blind is $2. So, in a $2-4 game the small
blind will be $1. The second blind is called the "big blind" and is
always the same size as the game's minimum bet, e.g., in a 5-10
game, the big blind is $5.
The player directly left of the button will have the "small
blind". The player directly to the left of the small blind will
have the "large blind" of the full amount or the lowest game
limit.
Opening Deal
Now that we have a Button and small and big blinds, we are ready
to deal. The dealer always deals from the player closest to the
dealer's left. Moving clockwise around the table, the game will
"deal-in" each player. The players will be dealt one card face
down, then a second card face down. A round of betting will occur
starting with the player seated to the left of the big blind.
Betting on Opening Deal
The player seated to the left of the big blind will always have
the action on the opening deal. This player may not check, but
rather can only fold, call, or raise the amount of the big
blind.
The game will now advance to each player seated asking to fold,
call, or raise until we reach the big blind for an action decision.
If no one has raised by the time the play comes back around to the
big blind, the big blind has the option to "check" his own BLIND
wager or raise.
Once all players have completed the first round of wagering,
they will proceed to the flop. It's important to know the strength
and potential of your cards, and to try and deduce what hand you
could make out of them. Make sure you familiarise yourself with the
poker hand rankings before you play - click the link to view the
hand ranking chart.
Once you're comfortable with which hand is which and how the
blinds work you're ready to play.
At the table there is a dealer button which moves on clockwise to
the next player after every hand is completed. The two players to
the left of the dealer put in the blinds, which are the initial
forced bets. Don't worry, the blinds rotate clockwise after every
hand, so each player is treated equally. Each player is now dealt
two hole cards and a round of betting follows.
The dealer then deals 'the flop'. The flop is the first three
community cards, available for use by all the players. There now
follows another round of betting. The player to the left of the
dealer is always the first to act.
Once all bets are matched, the dealer turns over the fourth
community card, the 'turn' card.
Another round of betting follows until bets are matched and the
dealer now deals the final community card, known as the 'river'
card.
Texas Hold'em Blind Rules
All players must pay for their blinds in full before they are
allowed to get the button. Therefore, the player who had posted the
small blind in the prior hand will receive the button on the next
deal of any game.
If in the event we have a new player to the game, then three (3)
actions will occur.
- If the new player is seated left of the blind, then he/she may
choose to "post" the big blind or "wait." If the player does post,
then his/her wager is active.
- If the new player is seated in the big blind, then he/she is
treated as such.
- If the player is seated between the button and any blind, then
he/she must wait for the button to pass.
Missed Blinds - Rules and Procedures
- Missed big blind: If a player misses the big blind
for any reason, then that player may not play in any hands until
the sum of all blinds are made up. The game will place an "ML"
button in that seat to declare the missed big blind. The game will
ask the next active player to the left to post the big blind for
the hand. If the missed player makes up the sum of all blinds, then
the small blind portion is dead and must be put into the pot before
the hand is dealt.
- Missed small blind: If a player misses the small
blind for any reason, then that player may not play in any hands
until the small blind is made up. The game will place an "MS"
button in that seat to declare the missed small blind. The game
will ask the current big blind to please also post the small blind
for the game. The game will further ask the next active player to
the left to post the big blind. The player who had missed the small
cannot return until after the button has passed. When and if the
player does make up the missed small blind, then that money is dead
and must be placed directly into the pot before any cards are
dealt.
Virgin Poker Texas Hold'em Games
Virgin Poker offers a great variety of low, medium and high
limit games. The offer may vary over time and therefore we do not
list the games in this section. However, when setting up and
specifying the limits of a game, we follow the general rules
described below.
$ (Lower Limit)-(Upper Limit)
- Maximum number of players: 10
- Minimum Buy-in = $(10 x Lower Limit)
- Small Blind = $(50% of Lower Limit)
- Big Blind = $(Lower Limit)
Example: $1-2
- Maximum number of players: 10
- Minimum Buy-in: $10
- Small Blind: $.50
- Big Blind: $1