Texas Holdem Poker - Rule and Basic Steps

Texas Holdem needs no introduction for those of you who are already familiar with poker. But for those of you who are new to poker too, you should know that Texas Holdem is the most popular poker game in the world. It is the most played game by professional poker players and it is the closing game of the WSOP, (World Series of poker), tournaments.

What makes Texas Holdem so loved by so many poker players around the world?
Texas Holdem is played very differently then other poker games, other then Omaha poker, (Visit my Texas Holdem site for more information on Omaha poker and Texas Holdem). The cards are dealt differently which gives a player a chance to calculate his or her winning odds.

Texas Holdem poker starts with two cards that are dealt to each player and that are facing down. The player him self can see his cards but the other player don't.

After that the communal cards are placed in a certain order in the middle of the table. All cards are facing up. This is the main concept in this game which makes it so popular among poker players.

Communal Cards

There are all together 5 communal cards that are laid facing up on the table. We start by placing three cards. This is called the flop. After the first round of bets a fourth card is placed open on the table. This is called the turn. After another round of bets the fifth and final communal card is placed open on the table. This is called the river. Each player can complete a hand using his own two cards an any of the five cards on the table.

Bidding in Texas Holdem

The bidding in Texas Holdem starts after the two first cards are dealt to each player. The player sitting to the left of the dealer is forced to place a minimum bet, usually 1$, and the one next to him puts 2$. They are called the small blind and the big blind since there are no open cards yet.

Each of the players next to the big blind is placing his bet till the round reaches the small blind again which matches the bet. The big blind can then continue raising the bet or not. Once this round of bets is finished the next one starts after the flop is set on the table. Another round of bets starts after the turn is placed and the final round starts after the river is placed.

The Possibilities Stored in Texas Holdem Poker

Now that you know how Texas Holdem works you might stat to realize the potential stored in this beautiful game. Unlike the classic poker game, in Texas Holdem you can see the cards that everyone are going to use.

You can also see your potential cards for a hand, unlike the classic poker in which you need to decide whether to change some of your cards with unseen cards from the pack or stay with the same cards you were dealt at the beginning.

The fact that the cards are visible to everyone means there's a possibility of calculating winning and loosing odds. Once you understand the principles of Texas Holdem and have played a couple of times, start reading about Texas Holdem odds to understand how to win this game.