Texas Hold'em Poker
Texas Hold'em, or just Hold'em is often referred to as the cadillac of poker, and is by far and away the most popular poker game played in the world today. Powered by the TV exposure of events such as the World Series and European Poker Tour, thousands of players all over the globe regularly play in casinos and card rooms and at online poker sites, such as PokerStars.
So you’ve heard of Texas Hold'em or seen the game played on TV, and want to learn the rules. The basics are simple – each player is dealt two ‘hole cards’ face-down before a further five community cards are dealt face-up in the middle of the table. These five cards are known as the ‘board’ and each player must construct their best five card hand from the seven cards that are available. Check the poker hand ranks page to view the ranking of poker hands.
Texas Hold'em is played in the following four distinct variations, which differ from one another on account of their betting amounts.
- Limit. For this variant of Texas Hold'em there is a pre-agreed betting limit for each game and round.
- No Limit. Currently the most popular variant, there is no maximum to the amount a player can bet.
- Pot Limit.Players may only maximum bet the amount already in the pot.
- Mixed. Here, the game alternates between rounds of Limit and No Limit Hold'em.
All of these variations of Texas Hold'em are available to play online with PokerStars for either play or real money.
How to Play Texas Hold'em
Before we start, there is no substitute for hands-on learning, so if you want to dive straight in and start playing on the play money tables, go ahead. Simply download the poker software for free, and you’ll soon betting and raising, and learning this great game in no time.
If you’d prefer a bit more info on the game before you get started, and would like to read the rules of Texas Hold'em first, then the following should help.
The Blinds
Everything in Texas Hold'em begins with the dealer. This pre-selected player is identified by a disc known as ‘the button’ and signifies the nominal dealer. Before the cards are dealt the player immediately clockwise of the button posts the ‘small blind’ a forced bet which normally half a small bet ($1 in a $2/$4 game), followed by the next clockwise player who posts the ‘big blind’, which is double the small blind, or a full small bet. Next, all players receive their two hole cards.
Pre-Flop
Before the first three community cards or ‘flop’ is dealt, players have the option to ‘call’ or ‘raise’ the big blind. Play takes place in a clockwise direction, and players may ‘fold’, turning in their cards, and stop playing the round at any time. In a $2/$4 game for example it would cost $2 to call the big blind.
During any round of Texas Hold'em, players may bet, call or raise, depending on what action has taken place before them. If the first player bets, the following players may either call that bet or raise to a higher amount. Calling means betting the same amount as the outstanding bet, raising means matching the previous bet, and increasing it. And of course, players may fold at any point and take no further part in the hand.
Betting structures throughout each round depend specifically on which variation of Hold'em is being played. For more on this, see below.
The Flop
The flop, (three community cards) is now dealt face-up in the middle of the table, and these cards are available to all players still in the hand. Play begins with the player clockwise to the button, who may ‘check’, and pass play to the next clockwise player, or initiate betting. In Limit Hold'em bets are made in increments of the small bet ($2 in a $2/$4 game).
The Turn
The fourth community or ‘turn’ card is now dealt face-up. Again, play begins with the player still with cards immediately clockwise of the button. In Limit Hold'em the bets for his round are doubled to the big bet amount ($4 in a $2/$4 game).
The River
After the completion of betting for the turn round, the fifth and final community card known as the ‘river’ is dealt face-up to complete the board. Action begins with the player still with cards directly clockwise to the button, and the betting follows the same pattern as the previous turn round.
The Showdown
When the final betting round is completed, and there is more than one player remaining with cards, it is up to the last bettor or raiser to reveal their cards first. If all players have checkes the final round i.e. there has been no betting, the player clockwise to the button shows first. Whichever player has the best five card hand wins the pot. Players may use any of the available seven cards, and do not have to use their hole cards. If both players have identical hands, the pot is split equally. All suits are equal in Texas Hold'em – and so split pots are reasonably common.
Following the distribution of the pot to the winning player or players, the button moves one place in a clockwise direction, blinds are posted and cards dealt for the next hand.
Differences between Limit, No Limit, Pot Limit and Mixed Hold'em
The above rules are for Limit Hold'em, and the rules for the different Texas Hold'em are broadly the same, with a couple of exceptions:
Limit Texas Hold'em
For this variant, players may only make a maximum of four bets in any round. So in Limit Texas Hold'em betting follows a bet (1), raise (2), re-raise (3), and cap (4) pattern.
No Limit Texas Hold'em
In No Limit Texas Hold'em there is a minimum amount the player must raise, which is at least the same amount as that round’s previous bet or raise. So if one player bets $5, the next player must raise a minimum of $5, making it a total bet of $10.
As the name suggests, there is no upper limit to the amount players may bet in No Limit, so players may go ‘all-in’ which means betting all of their chips.
Pot Limit Texas Hold'em
In Pot Limit Texas Hold'em the minimum raise is the same as in No Limit. However, for the maximum bet players may only bet the size of the pot, plus all active bets on the table, plus the amount the active player needs to call before making the raise.
Mixed Hold'em
For the Mixed Texas Hold'em variant, the game alternates between rounds of Limit and No Limit. The blinds increase when the game changes from No Limit to Limit, to enable the staking levels to remain consistent.
Learn Texas Hold'em for Free
The best way to learn how to play Texas Hold'em is to try it out for yourself, which you can do for free, with PokerStars. Just download the PokerStars software and play free poker online against other players. Because these are not real money poker games, there is nothing at stake and you can familiarize yourself with the basic rules of Texas Hold'em. Hopefully you will enjoy your time at the PokerStars tables, and we wish you good luck!
Other Poker Games
There are many more poker games than Texas Hold'em available at PokerStars. Also on offer are the following:
We also have plenty more information available about our poker room. Please visit the following pages for additional details:
Many thanks for checking out this guide to Texas Hold'em at PokerStars.
