subject: Helena Poker - Exploring Texas Holdem [print this page] In exploring Texas Holdem, one must understand the nature of this game and how it is being played. It is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed by the dealer. A series of three cards is the flop. The two additional single cards are the turn and the river. The players have the option to check, bet or fold after each deal, i.e. betting may occur prior to the flop, on the flop, on the turn, and on the river.
Play begins with each player being dealt two cards face down, with the player in the small blind receiving the first card and the player in the button seat receiving the last card dealt. In Texas HoldEm, players compete for an amount of money contributed by the players themselves, called the pot.
The game is divided into a series of hands or deals; at the conclusion of each hand, the pot is typically awarded to one player but in some cases to more than one player. If a player bets and all other players fold, then the remaining player is awarded the pot and is not required to show his hole cards.
A hand may end at the showdown, in which case the remaining players compare their hands and the highest hand is awarded the pot; that highest hand is usually held by only one player, but can be held by more in the case of a tie.
A showdown occurs if two or more players remain after the final betting round. If a player bets and all other players fold, then the remaining player is awarded the pot and is not required to show his hole cards. The three most common variations of hold'em are limit hold'em, no limit hold'em and pot limit hold'em.
