No Limit Texas Hold 'Em Poker is, in its purest essence, a very simple game. You can learn the rules and start playing within an hour or so, however if you want to start playing competitively you need to have a good knowledge of the fundamentals of poker. These are simple tricks and tips such as what starting hands to play, when to bet, how much to bet and whether or not you have proper odds to call a bet. However in this first article in the series, we will briefly go over the basic rules and a little bit of the history of the game. For more in depth strategy check my other blog, How to Make Money Playing Poker.
No Limit Texas Hold 'Em Poker is generally played at 6 or 10 person tables. Back in the good 'ol days when the game was created to be played amongst friends, each player would take turns dealing so that an element of fairness was preserved. The 'dealer' would then rotate around the table clockwise. Later on, when casinos started running Texas Hold 'Em games themselves they used a casino dealer for every hand. The dealer button (commonly referred to as 'the button') then came into use to signify which player represented the dealer for a particular hand. It's important to know which player is the dealer because it determines who must pay the blinds for that hand. Player position in relation to the button also becomes important when you consider more in-depth strategies.
The blinds are a set amount that the two players to the left of the button must pay each hand before cards are dealt out. The player to the left of the button must pay the small blind, an amount equal to half of what the player to his left must pay - the big blind. Games are often described by their blind levels (e.g. 'I was playing $1/$2 No Limit'), though if you are in a tournament the blinds continue to go up as you play. In No Limit Hold 'Em the big blind is also equal to the smallest amount that you are allowed to bet. If the big blind is 100 chips, you must raise at least 100 more. You needn't raise in increments of the big blind, for example it would be perfectly allowable to bet 225 chips there, but you wouldn't be allowed to raise to 175.
After players put out their blinds, each player is dealt two face down cards which only he or she may look at. The small blind is always the first dealt to. The player to the left of the big blind is the first to act before the flop (also known as 'Under The Gun' or 'UTG'), and he may elect to call the current bet, raise, or fold his cards. Each player in turn does this around the table in a clockwise order until it gets to the big blind. If someone re-raises, you may need to make another rotation around the table in order for people to call the new bet or fold. Note that all other players may fold before the flop to a big raiser, a strategy that many employ when they sense weakness. Once it has made it around the table once with no players raising (and as long as there are at least 2 players still in the hand), the dealer moves the pot (all of the chips that players have bet or called, including blinds) off to the side and deals out the flop.
The flop is a set of three 'community cards' which may be used by anyone in combination with the two cards they were dealt, their 'pocket cards' or 'hole cards'. Before dealing the flop, you may notice that the dealer burns or discards the top card of the deck into the muck (discard pile near the dealer). This is to prevent players from cheating by knowing what the top card is - this is possible if for example a player managed to mark all of the aces in the deck with a very slight crease to one corner, he would certainly know if an ace were coming. After the flop there is a new round of betting, starting with the player to the left of the button, and each player receives the option of checking or betting. If a player bets, then other players in the pot may fold, call, or raise the bet. You are technically allowed to fold even if there is no bet ahead of you, though this is generally not done because as they say, 'checking is free'.
Once this new round of betting is complete, the dealer burns another card and puts out one more community card. This is known as the 'turn' card. Another round of betting occurs, starting with the first person to the left of the button once more.
The dealer then burns again and deals out the final card, known as the river. Why this name is used for the 5th community card has never really made a whole lot of sense to me, and some may refer to the turn and river as 4th and 5th street. Another round of betting follows, and once everything in the pot is even everyone turns up their hands, and the best hands win. The best hands possible in No Limit Texas Hold 'Em are as follows, from best to worst:
Royal Flush: 10, J, Q, K, A - all the same suit)
Straight Flush: 5 cards in sequential order and of the same suit. If there are multiple straight flushes then the one that stretches to the highest card wins.
Four of a Kind: Also known as 'quads', four of the same card. If four of a kind are put on the board, then the player with the highest 'kicker', or other card, will win. For example, the flop is 444 and it turns a 4 and then puts a 5 on the river. If you have an ace in your hand and your friend has a king, then you will win because your ace is a better kicker than his king.
Full House: A combination of three of a kind when a player also has another pair, for example 5, 5, 5, 8, 8. This would also be called 'fives full' or more specifically 'fives full of eights'. The three of a kind is more important in hand ranking and determines which hand is better if there are multiple full houses, with aces full of kings being the best full house and deuces full of threes being the worst.
Flush: Five cards all of the same suit. The flush with the higher cards beats lower flushes, for example an 'ace high' flush beats a 'jack high' flush. If the highest card is the same, then you compare each second highest card. If that's the same, then each third highest card, and so on.
Straight: Five cards all in sequential order, for example 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Higher straights beat lower straights, with 10, J, Q, K, A being the best (referred to as 'Broadway') and A, 2, 3, 4, 5 being the worst (referred to as 'The Wheel', one of the most important hands in another poker game, Omaha Hi/Lo).
Three of a Kind: Three of the same cards, such as Q, Q, Q. The higher the better, with aces being the best. If there are two on the board and one in your hand, it is referred to as 'trips'. If you have two in your hand (i.e. a 'pocket pair') and only one is on the board, this is called 'a set'.
Two Pair: Two pair, like A, A, J, J. In determining hand ranking, the highest pair is considered first and only if they are equal are the lower pairs compared. In the case of players having the same two pair, kicker (the 5th card in their hand) is considered, with the pot going to the player with the highest kicker. If the kicker is the same, then the pot would be split.
One Pair: The highest pair wins. Kickers are compared in the case of multiple players having the same pair.
High Card: Player with the highest high card wins. In the case of the same high card, you compare lower kickers.
Well, that's about all you need to know to get started playing No Limit Hold 'Em Poker! Check back soon for more!
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