How to Play Texas Hold'em

Become a Texas Hold'em pro with this beginner's guide to poker's most popular game. All players start off with two cards (known as hole cards) that are kept private. The dealer then flips over three community cards, which are shared by all players. You can use any combination of hole cards and community cards to create a five-card hand strong enough to contend for the pot. The poker hand values are standard and used in Omaha as well.

Stakes
Before you get into the action, you've got to select a table that caters to your wagering style. Ignition Casino offers fixed limit, pot limit and no limit tables.

Fixed Limit
The amount you can bet and raise is pre-determined in fixed limit poker. For example, if you play $5/$10 fixed limit Texas Hold'em, you can place $5 bets in the first two rounds of the hand, and $10 bets for the last two rounds of the hand. The amount of times players can raise is capped at three, unless there are only two players left, in which case the cap is increased to five.

Pot Limit
The most you can bet in pot limit poker is the amount in the pot, which is the total cash in the middle of the board, including the active bets.

No Limit Texas Hold'em
The minimum you can bet in no limit Hold'em is the value of the big blind, and there is no cap on the maximum you can bet. Make your opponents sweat by going all in with a stellar hand.

Pre-Flop Action
One player is the designated dealer (distinguishable by the button placed by the player's name). In online poker rooms, the button is mainly significant to keep track of the blinds and betting order.

Each player starts off with two face-down hole cards. The player to the left of the dealer must post the small blind (a mandatory contribution to help build up the pot), and the following player must post the big blind. The following players can choose to call by matching the big blind, or they can raise, fold, etc.

Post-Flop Action
The flop consists of three community cards that are placed face up on the board. The community cards are to be used in conjunction with your hole cards to create a strong five-card hand. After the flop is revealed, the player to the left of the dealer starts things off by raising (if the hand is strong), checking (if the hand is mediocre), or folding (if the hand is weak). The following players follow suit, electing to either call, raise, re-raise, check or fold.

The fourth card revealed is called the turn. Another round of betting ensues, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer. In fixed limit Texas Hold'em, the fixed betting amount increases at the turn.

The final card revealed is called the river. Players will go through another round of betting, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. If at least two players want to battle for the pot, a showdown takes place.

Showdown
The showdown is the game's thrilling conclusion. After all rounds of betting wrap up, the last player to raise or call in the final round must flip over their cards. If the following players see that their hands are weaker, they can choose to not reveal their cards by mucking them instead. The player with the strongest five-card hand wins the pot. If two players have identical hands, the pot is equally divided between them.  

Ready for a Texas Hold'em showdown? Learn more about our deposit options.