Texas Holdem Poker Game Rules
Hold'em poker (also known as Texas Hold'em) is the most popular
poker game in the world.
There are three types of Texas Hold'em games:
1. Limit Texas Holdem (there is a specific betting limit applied
in each game and on each round of betting)
2. Pot Limit Texas Holdem (A player can bet what is in the pot.
Click here to learn more)
3. No Limit Texas Holdem (A player can bet all of his/her chips
at any time. Click here to learn more).
The Game:
Texas Hold'em Poker uses what is called a dealer-button to indicate
the theoretical dealer of each hand. After each hand is completed,
as with standard poker rules, the button moves clockwise to the
next active player. This player will be considered "the dealer"
for that hand. Before the start of the game, internally the PartyPoker.com
system generates a fresh deck of cards for the hand. On PartyPoker.com,
we use a single deck of cards to play a hand of poker, where a
deck refers to 52 cards excluding the jokers. Online poker rooms
use what is called the Random Number Generator (RNG) to shuffle
a deck of cards for the hand.
How does it work?
The system generates a random set of numbers, which are used to
place a card of the deck in a particular position. Once the complete
deck is created, the deck is used for that particular hand only.
We shuffle the deck of cards every time we start a hand, and the
random numbers previously generated are discarded and new ones
generated before the shuffle. The RNG code has been successfully
audited by BMM, Australia, and its integrity is verified daily.
BMM is one of the leading auditors of gaming solutions in the
industry.
The First round:
A fresh table starts of with the first person sitting on the table
becoming the dealer and the next player posting the small blind.
A new game on a active table starts with the button moving clockwise
to the next player. The player next to the button / dealer is
required to place the small blind. The small blind is equal to
half the lower stake. This is a guideline for determining the
blinds and not a strict rule. At PartyPoker.com the small blind
is rounded down to the nearest dollar. For example - at $5/$10
Hold'em per the formula the small blind should be $2.5. Instead,
it is rounded of to the lower dollar, so the small blind would
post $2. However, as it is just a guideline, the amount of small
blind could be set differently at the time of setting up the table.
The player to the left of the small blind is required to post
the big blind, equal to the lower stake limit. In a certain scenario
it is possible for more than one player to post a big blind in
a hand. This is if a new player joins a table at which a game
is already going on. The player would get an option of placing
a Big Blind at the start of the next hand or wait for his/her
turn (as decided by the movement of the button) to place the Big
Blind in turn. All the blinds in Hold'em poker are considered
live bets and the players who posted them will have the option
of checking, calling, raising or folding when the betting returns
to their position.
After the blinds have been placed, the down cards / hole cards
are dealt to each active player. In Hold'em, 2 cards are dealt
to each of the players, after which the first betting round starts.
The player to the left of the player who placed the big blind
starts the betting for this round.
Each player will now have the option to place his or her bets
in the first round, which is set at the lower limit of the stakes
structure. For example in a $10/$20 Hold'em game, value of each
bet is $10 for the first round. When we say the bets are limited
to $10, it refers to: a Bet (single bet) of the value of $10,
so when a user places "BET" then it is $10, "RAISE"
would be $20 - includes one additional bet and a call on the previous
bet placed by a player.
Bets can be placed by playing any of the following options - Bet,
Call and Raise. Each player will also have the option to Fold.
These options are available to each player depending on the action
taken by the previous player. The first player (left of the Big
Blind) to act (in the first round) would get the Bet, Call and
Raise options. Subsequent players would also get the options of
Call and Raise. To Call is to bet the same as what the previous
player has bet. Raise action calls for raising whatever was the
bet/call amount of the previous player, and can be calculated
based on the value of the previous bet amount.
Every player participating in the hand should place equal amount
of bet as the previous players (includes bets, calls and raises).
Till the time all the players have placed equal amounts in the
pot, the betting will continue. There is a limit on the amount
and the number of bets a player can place during a betting round,
which also would be considered during the hand. The numbers of
bets for a particular round of betting has been mentioned below,
please refer to the section on "Standard Rules" for
the limits on the number of bets.
After the first round of betting is over, the Flop (the first
three cards of the community) is dealt. The community cards are
common to all the players participating in the hand.
The Second Round:
After the flop and in each subsequent betting round, the first
active player left of the button is first to act. The second betting
round also limits the value of bets and raises to the lower limit
of the stake structure. So in a $10/$20 value of each bet is $10
for the second round. When we say the bets are limited to $10,
it refers to: a Bet (single bet) of the value of $10, so when
a user places "BET" then it is $10, "RAISE"
would be $20 - includes one additional bet and a call on the previous
bet placed by a player. Bets can be placed, by playing any of
the following options - Bet, Call and Raise. These options are
available to each player depending on the action taken by the
previous player. The first player placing the bet would get the
Bet option (the player left to the Button). Other players will
get the Call and Raise options only.
After this the fourth community card is dealt out - this is known
as the Turn.
The Third Round:
The third betting round starts again with the player left to the
button, and bets and raises are limited to the upper limit of
the stake structure ($10/$20 game, $20 would be the upper stake).
When we say the bets are limited to $20, it refers to: a Bet (single
bet) of the value of $20, so when a user places "BET"
then it is $20, "RAISE" would be $40 - includes one
additional bet and a call on the previous bet placed by a player.
Bets can be placed by playing any of the following options - Bet,
Call and Raise. Combinations of these options are available to
the player depending on the action taken by the previous player.
The first player placing the bet would get the Bet option (the
player left to the Button).
After this the fifth community card is dealt out - this is known
as the River.
The Fourth Round:
The fourth (and final) betting round starts again with the player
left to the button, and bets and raises are limited to the upper
limit of the stake structure ($10/$20 game, $20 would be the upper
stake). When we say the bets are limited to $20, it refers to:
a Bet (single bet) of the value of $20, so when a user places
"BET" then it is $20, "RAISE" would be $40
- includes one additional bet and a call on the previous bet placed
by a player. Bets can be placed by playing any of the following
options - Bet, Call and Raise. Combinations of these options are
available to the player depending on the action taken by the previous
player. The first player placing the bet would get the Bet option
(the player left to the Button).
Some standard rules:
A maximum of four bets, which includes one bet, and three raises
are allowed for each betting round per player.
The term cap is used to describe the final raise in a round since
betting is then capped and no one can make another raise. Once
capped, players will have the option of calling or folding only.
Folding can be done at any stage of the game. The action of folding
basically shows the player cards being moved to the dealer. The
player from then on would not be considered as part of the game.
He/she would not have any rights over any pots created on the
table.
Apart from the fold option, a player could also get the option
of "Check", in which the player can pass his/her turn
without placing a bet. This option would not always be available
to the player, and depends on the actions taken by the previous
player in the hand. The player HAS TO equal the amount of bet
placed by any other players for each round in the hand.
Poker is typically played "table stakes", meaning only
the chips in play at the beginning of each hand may be used throughout
the hand. This means that the player cannot get additional funds
from the cashier while he is in the midst of a game. The table
stakes rule has an application called the "All-In" rule,
which states that a player cannot be forced to forfeit a hand
because the player does not have enough chips to call a bet.
Exceptions to the value of betting in each round:
A player who does not have enough chips to call a bet is declared
All-In. The player is eligible for the portion of the pot to the
point of his final wager. All further action involving other players
takes place in a "side pot", which is unavailable to
the player who has already gone All-In. When a player goes All-in,
the pot currently at the center of the table, which has contributions
from him/her as well, is treated as the main pot, over which the
All-in player has rights. After the player goes all-in, all the
new bets are placed in a side pot, over which only the contributing
players have rights. The All-in player does not have any rights
over the side pot. The side pot is then given to the next winning
combination.
As this is a multi player game, the players are expected to play
within a set time frame, the actions during their turn. On PartyPoker.com
we provide players with approximately 30 seconds to play with.
Initially the player is given 10 seconds, after which there is
a timer countdown, which is displayed on the table for 20 seconds.
The user goes all-in if he has contributed some money to the pot;
otherwise his hand is folded in case he/she does not respond in
time. The system is intelligent in detecting if the player has
got disconnected or not. This means if a players gets disconnected
and reconnects back and he has some seconds left for his turn,
then he is given an additional 20 seconds to play his turn. But
if the player is not able to connect back to the table before
the time elapses, then the player goes All-in. All-in basically
means that the player is in the game, but would not be an active
player (placing any bets). Whatever pot is collected till this
time is referred as the main pot, and the all-in player has rights
(if he wins) to this pot only. After this the money that is bet
on the table is added to a side pot, over which the all-in player
does not have any rights (if he wins).
Showdown
This refers to the action of deciding who the winner of the pot
is and display of the cards from all players (though this is optional
for the player, he/she need not show the cards). Five cards of
the total of hole and community cards are to be used for deciding
on the winning hands. A combination of the following may be used
-
Both hole cards and three community cards
One hole card & four community cards
All five community cards (playing the board)
On the final round of betting, the player who bets first (or checks
first if no one else bets) is required to show their cards first
at the showdown. If they have the best hand, the remaining players
may/may not show their cards as they wish. The aggressors' hand
is only turned over first if he was the last to initiate action
on the river.
There is a set rank of cards, which is used for deciding the winning
combination. To view the various ranks that are possible, click here
If two or more hands are the same ranking, the winner is the one
having the higher cards. For example, a Flush with an Ace high
beats a Flush with a King high. If the poker hands remain tied,
then the highest card not being held in common (the kicker) determines
the winner. The suit order of the cards is not taken into account
while deciding on the winning cards.PartyPoker.com follow standard
rules of poker. Should poker hands be absolutely identical in
ranking, the rule of poker pot distribution will be split evenly
between the two or more winning players. If there is an odd chip,
the winning player to the left of the button/dealer will receive
it. This applies to both play money (free) and poker for real
money.
For all the four rounds of betting, the house based on set rules
collects a commission, which is known as the rake in poker terminology.
The game play remains same for both No-Limit and Pot-Limit Texas
Hold'em game with a few exceptions to the rules mentioned above:
In Limit Texas Hold'em Poker a maximum of four bets is allowed
per player during any betting round. This includes a (1) bet,
(2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap, but in No-Limit and Pot-Limit
there is no limit to the number of raises that a player can make.
The only criteria being that you cannot raise yourself, (i.e.
if a player bets during a betting round, then that player would
have to be raised by another player in order for him/her to be
able to re-raise). If all the other players in the hand only call
or fold, the player would not get an option to raise, because
the last raise was done by him/her.
Betting Structure for No-Limit Texas Hold'em Poker
Minimum raise: The raise amount must be at least as much as the
previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if the
first player to act bets $100 then the second player must raise
a minimum of $100 (total bet of $200).
Maximum eligible raise: The size of your stack (your chips on
the table)
The Betting Rules for Pot-Limit Texas Hold'em
Poker
Minimum eligible raise: The raise amount must be at least as much
as the previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example,
if the first player to act bets $100 then the second player must
raise a minimum of $100 (total bet of $200).
Maximum eligible raise: The size of the pot: The size of the pot
is defined as the total of the active Pot (which can be either
the main pot or the side pot depending on whether anyone has gone
"all-in") plus all bets on the table plus the amount
the active player must first call before raising.
As an example, if the active pot is $200 and the first player
to act in the round bets $150 and the next player calls $150,
the third player has a maximum eligible total bet of $800. The
$800 total is made up of the $150 call and $650 raise.
The $650 max raise portion is equal to the pot of $200 + first
player's $150 + second player's $150 + his own call of $150.