Texas hold 'em

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Texas hold 'em (or simply hold 'em or holdem) is the most popular of the community card poker games. It is the most popular poker variant played in casinos in the western United States, and its no-limit form is used in the final event of the World Series of Poker (AKA WSOP), widely recognized as the world championship of the game.

In 2003, Texas Holdem exploded in popularity as a spectator sport in the United States, due to ESPN's coverage of the WSOP, featuring the unexpected victory of Internet player Chris Moneymaker. Two additional Texas Holdem series debuted in 2003, "World Poker Tour" and "Celebrity Poker Showdown". Both of these shows are still currently in production, and garner a large and loyal viewership. Holdem is commonly played in the rest of the world as well, but seven-card stud and other local games may be more popular in some places.

Although it can theoretically be played by up to 23 players, holdem is generally played by between 2 and 10 players. It is one of the most positional of all poker variants, since the order of betting is fixed throughout all betting rounds.

Rules

The descriptions below assume that you are familiar with the general game play of poker, and with poker hands. They also make no assumptions about what betting structure is used. In casino play, it is common to use a fixed limit and two blinds, one for half of the first-round betting limit and one for a full bet. (This double-blind structure is relatively recent; until 20 or 30 years ago, a single-blind structure was most common.) The limit for the third and fourth betting rounds is generally double that of the first two rounds. Occasionally, the fourth bet is larger still (a big river bet), and the big blind is sometimes less than the normal first-round bet, in which case it is treated the same way a sub-minimum bring-in is treated in stud poker. Antes may be used instead of or in addition to blinds; this is especially true in tournament play. The game also plays very well at the no-limit level, and many tournaments (including the above mentioned World Series championship event) are played that way.

Play begins with each player being dealt two cards face down. These are the only cards each player will receive individually, and they will only (possibly) be revealed at the showdown, making Texas holdem a closed poker game. The hand begins with a "pre-flop" betting round, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind (or the player to the left of dealer, if no blinds are used). After the pre-flop betting round, the dealer deals a burn card, followed by three face-up community card (poker)s called the flop (poker). The flop is followed by a second betting round. This and all subsequent betting rounds begin with the player to the dealer's left. After the flop betting round, another card is burned, and a single community card called the turn (or fourth street) is dealt, followed by a third betting round. A final burn card is folowed by a single community card called the river (or fifth street), followed by a fourth betting round and the showdown, if necessary.

On the showdown, each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the seven cards comprising his two and the board (the five community cards). A player may use both of his own two downcards, only one, or none at all, to form his final five-card hand. If the five community cards form the player's best hand, then the player is said to be playing the board.

If the best hand is shared by more than one player (e.g. if no player is able to beat the board), then the pot is split equally amongst all remaining players. However, it is common for players to have closely-valued, but not identically ranked hands. In particular, kickers are often needed to break ties. Nevertheless, one must be careful in determining the best hand, because often the board nullifies kickers. (See the second example below.) Straights often split the pot, and multiple flushes may occur. In the case of flushes, the flush is awarded to the player with the highest flush card which completes a flush and beats the board's flush cards. If there is a flush on board, (i.e. if all the board cards are the same suit), then undercards in that suit do not play, and if no one has a card in the flush suit beating the board, then the pot is split. The sole exception to this rule is the case of a possible straight-flush.

Examples

Here's a sample final showdown:

Board 4♣ K♠ 4♥ 8♠ 7♠
Alice 5♦ 6♦	Bob A♣ 4♦	Carol A♠ 9♠	Ted K♥ K♦

Alice's best five-card hand is 8♠ 7♠ 6♦ 5♦ 4♥, making an 8-high straight. The best hand Bob can play is 4♣ 4♥ 4♦ A♣ K♠, for three 4s with A and K kickers. Carol can play A♠ K♠ 9♠ 8♠ 7♠ for an A-high flush. Finally, Ted can play K♠ K♥ K♦ 4♣ 4♥, for a full house, which wins.

Here's a sample deal. The players' individual hands will not be revealed until showdown, to give a better sense of what happens during play. Bob, to the dealer's left, posts a blind of $1, and Carol blinds $2. Alice deals two cards face down to each player, beginning with Bob and ending with herself. Ted must act first because he is the first player after the big blind. He cannot check, since the $2 blinds plays as a bet, so he folds. Alice calls the $2. Bob puts an additional $1 with his $1 small blind to call the $2 total. Carol's blind is "live" (see Blind (poker)), so she has the right to raise here, but she checks her option instead, ending the first betting round.

Alice now burns a card and deals the "flop" of three face-up community cards, 9♣ K♣ 3♥. On this round as on all subsequent, Bob begins the betting. He checks, Carol opens for $2, and Alice raises another $2, making the total bet now facing Bob $4. He calls. Carol calls, putting in an additional $2. Alice now burns and deals the "turn" card face up. It is the 5♠. Bob checks, Carol checks, and Alice checks, ending the round. After burning, Alice deals the final "river" card of the 9♦, making the final board 9♣ K♣ 3♥ 5♠ 9♦. Bob bets $4, Carol calls, and Alice folds (Alice's holding was A♣ 7♣; she was hoping the river card would be a club to make her a flush). Bob shows his hand of Q♠ 9♥, so the best five-card hand he can make is 9♣ 9♦ 9♥ K♣ Q♠, for three 9s, K and Q kickers. Carol shows her cards of K♠ J♥, making her final hand K♣ K♠ 9♣ 9♦ J♥ for two pair, Ks and 9s, with a J kicker. Bob wins the pot.

Here's another situation that illustrates the importance of breaking ties with kickers and card ranks, and use of the five-card rule. After the first three rounds, the board and players' hands look like this (though the players don't actually know the other players' cards):

Board (after three rounds) 8♠ Q♣ 8♥ 4♣
Alice T♣ 9♣ (T = 10)	Bob K♥ Q♠	Carol Q♥ 10♦	Ted J♣ 2♣

At the moment, Bob is in the lead with a hand of Q♠ Q♣ 8♠ 8♥ K♥, making two pair, Qs and 8s, with a K kicker. This just beats Carol's hand of Q♥ Q♣ 8♠ 8♥ T♦ by virtue of his kicker. Both Alice and Ted are hoping the final card is a club, which will make them both a flush, but Ted would have the higher flush and win if that happens. For example, if the final card was the 7♣, Ted's flush would be Q-J-7-4-2, while Alice's would be Q-T-9-7-4. Alice could still win, though, if the final card were the J♦, as that would give her a Q-high straight. On this deal, however, the final card was the A♠, which didn't help either of them. Bob and Carol still each have two pair, but notice what happened: both of them are now entitled to play the final A as their fifth card, making their hands both two pair, Qs and 8s, with an A kicker. Bob's K no longer plays, because the A on the board plays as the fifth card in both hands, and they can't play six cards. They therefore split the pot.

Basic Strategy

Poker strategy is highly complex — an aspiring player would be wise to buy a book on poker strategy before playing in a casino. Nevertheless, some of the basic factors that influence good play can easily be explained. One of the most significant considerations is the number of players at the table: in a large game with 8 or 9 other opponents, you need to have a strong hand to win the pot, so you should fold most hands before seeing the flop. In a smaller, "short-handed" game you can afford to play more hands, since you are facing fewer opponents. (In fact, if you fold too often, you will be penalised because you are paying the blinds so often.) Other important factors include:

• The style of play of your opponents: how often they raise, how inclined they are to call, and so on. This falls into two general categories: "tight/loose" and "passive/aggressive". Each player (and each game) can be characterised based on these two dimensions. A tight player plays premium hands, has high standards for calling raises, and reraises more often than cold-calling (calling a raise without raising); conversely, a loose player often limps in (calls without raising) and cold-calls more often than is correct. A passive player frequently checks and calls or checks and folds after the flop and does not push the betting with an advantage; conversely, an aggressive player often raises for a variety of reasons after the flop with an advantage. In general, tight/aggressive players have developed the best style of play and should be avoided, while loose/passive players have developed a weak style of play and should be attacked when vulnerable.
• Your position in the hand. The player in the "dealer" position (or "button") is always the last player to act in every betting round. (The sole exception to this is the first pre-flop round, in which the big blind has the last "option".) Therefore, that player has the most information about the other players and is in the best position. The earlier the position you are in, the greater your disadvantage. (The sole exception to this rule is with regard to bluffing.) Therefore, you should be inclined to play more hands in late position, and fewer hands in early position.
• Your "table image": how other players at the table perceive your play alters the way they play. If they think are you a tight player, they will be less inclined to call your raises; if they think you are an overly-aggressive player who frequently raises with marginal hands, they will be more inclined to call. Good poker players are able to vary their style in play to take advantage of the present situation and to make their play less predictable.

Pre-flop

• Top ten starting hands, in descending order: AA; KK; QQ; AK suited; AQ suited; JJ; KQ suited; AJ suited; KJ suited; AK. (The last four hands are closer in value than the first six, and so the order is not as rigid amongst them.)
• High Pocket Pairs: Pairs from Aces (AA) to Tens (TT) are always a good starting hand. They often begin as the best hand and hold up. They also have the opportunity to complete high flushes and straights, and they show a large profit when they "flop a set" (hit a third card of the same rank on the flop, to make three-of-a-kind).
• Middle Pocket Pairs: Without improvement, a middle or small pocket pair is a weak hand in a full game. Its value increases as the number of players decreases. The usual strategy is to try to see the flop cheaply with a hand like this --- if you flop a set, you now have a very strong hand. If you miss the flop, you should usually fold. Since the odds of flopping a set are about 7.5:1 (or 12%), try to avoid calling too many bets pre-flop, since you will be folding most of the time on the flop.
• High Cards: Two suited high cards (Ten or higher) are strong and usually playable, especially in late position. They have the combination of all three attributes of high card value, and high straight and flush possibility. The value of two unsuited high cards is considerably less. Unsuited high cards, unless they are strong hands like AK or KQ, should generally only be played in late position for a single bet. Calling with KT or AT in early position in a full table is a common beginning error.
• Suited connectors: If your two cards are suited, don't overrate them. Suited connectors, such as 9♥ 8♥, are good drawing hands: they have a chance to make both a straight and a flush. These types of hands play well against many opponents. However, random suited hands, such as J4%clubs; or 96%spades; rarely show a profit.
• Other: If a hand is not listed above in the above types, it is almost never correct to play it voluntarily. The most common mistake beginning players make is to pay to see the flop too many times with bad hands, which costs them plenty of money over hundreds of hands. Yes, any hand such as 72 offsuit (which is the worst possible hand) can get lucky, but much more often than not, these hands will miss the flop and require a fold. Marginal hands are possibly even worse, as they are easily dominated (e.g. A7 against AQ) and will often go all the way to the river paying off the best hand.

After the flop

• Drawing hands, such as 4-card flush or straight draws, are some of the most difficult hands to play. There really is no simple accurate advice. You must always take into account your position, the previous action, the texture of the board, the style of play of your opponents, and the size of the pot.
• If you don't have at least a drawing hand or a pair after the flop, it is almost always correct to fold. The sole exception to this might occur if you find yourself heads-up (2 players) or with 2 opponents and you have an opportunity to bluff. Even in this case, some kind of draw is good, because then you can semi-bluff.
• If the flop goes against your high pairs, and if there is a coordinated board, i.e. possible flush or straight draws, it is often correct to fold, especially is there is heavy betting. Marginal hands with little drawing potential do not play well if there is a lot of action.
• When you hit a flush or straight, be aware of the possibilities of other players having the same type of hand but higher. If there is heavy betting, it is probable that someone else has you dominated.
• If you have a strong hand (top pair, excellent kicker, 2 pair or 3 of a kind after the flop), it is often good to try to protect your hand. However, there is no simple accurate advice for how to achieve this. Sometimes, a bet is warranted, while at other times, it is correct to go for a check-raise. A very good hand may even warrant a slow-play. Again, decisions such as these are very complicated and involve taking into account a number of factors, such as the number of remaining players, previous action, your position, and knowledge of players' tendencies.

See also: Poker, Poker Jargon, Community card poker, Big Slick

Bibliography

Winning Low-Limit Hold'em, Lee Jones, ISBN 1886070156. An introduction to lower limit game play.

Hold 'em Poker, David Sklansky. A short book discussing all the basic rules and strategies of holdem, from play of the hand to reading hands.

Small Stakes Hold 'em, Ed Miller, David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth. A book discussing all facets of "small stakes games", i.e. games in which many players play too many hands, and too many bad hands, too far.

Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players, David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth, ISBN 1880685221. This book contains a thorough discussion of strategies which apply to middle- and high-limit games involving players who generally play sound (compare to Small Stakes Hold 'em).

The Theory of Poker, David Sklansky. A theoretical treatise on general poker concepts.

sv:Texas hold'em