How To Deal And Play Texas Holdem: Printable Guide
Deal And Play Texas Holdem
Dealing Texas Holdem is not very complicated. In fact, it’s far less complicated then actually playing the game, and learning the right strategy. The object of dealing is to make sure that the procedures are followed for chips, betting, player turns, how the cards are dealt, and ultimately deciding the winner of each hand.
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Overview Of Dealing Texas Holdem:
Each player is given two cards dealt face down. These cards will not be shown or shared with other players. Then five cards community cards will be dealt face up for all players may use. Overall, each player has seven total cards to choose from and make a hand. The best five cards out of the seven will be used.
What You Will Need:
-A standard 52-card deck of cards.
-Poker Chips: If you don’t have standard poker chips you can also use coins, if you have some lying around, and nominate a dollar value to each denomination. Hee hee, candy could be an option if your really hard up for finding something to use for poker chips.
-Dealer Button: This can be a type of disc of any kind to represent the dealer (if you don’t have a poker Dealer Button try a coaster)
-Poker players: Texas Holdem can be played from 2-10 players
Decisions To Be Made:
Decide the Texas Holdem betting structure: Limit Holdem, Spread Limit, Pot Limit, or No Limit. Limit Holdem, is when the betting rounds have a limit or max to how much can be raised. Spread Limit, is when the betting rounds have two spread amounts you can bet. Example: In a $1-5 Spread Limit game, you can raise the minimum of $1 or bet the max of $5. Pot Limit, is when the max amount to bet is the size of the Pot. Last, No Limit, this form of Texas Holdem has no betting structure and you may bet any desired amount up to how many chips you have in front of you. That, means you can’t bet invisible chips, or your neighbors chips.
Dealer: Decide if there will be one dealer for the whole game or if all players take Turns dealing. Suggestion: Each player can deal when the Dealer Button is in front of them.
Decide the amount of the Blinds: The Blinds are forced bets that are made at the start of each game of Texas Holdem. There are two Blinds: The Small Blind and Big Blind. The Small Blind will be 1/2 the Big Blind. If the blind is a odd number then there should be another decision made if the Small Blind should be rounded down or rounded up. Example $2-4 is even and Blinds are easy. $3-6, the Big Blind will be $3 and the Small Blind could be $1 or it could be $2. Dealing with $.50 chips can be a bit much and isn’t really worth the effort.
How Texas Holdem Should Be Dealt
This guide is for dealing Limit Holdem. All Texas Holdem games are dealt the same only the amount one can raise can vary.
Deciding Who Goes First And Beginning Set-Up:
1. Make sure there are 52 cards in the deck.
2. Properly shuffle the deck. To properly shuffle a deck Turn all cards face down and scramble with both hands till all cards are separated. Next, gather them into a neat pile and begin the standard overhand shuffle.
3. Draw for the Dealer Button. This is how you figure out who goes first. First, the dealer must spread all the cards on the table (usually fanned out in a rainbow shape) and all players pick a card and lay the card face up in front of them on the table. The highest card gets the Dealer Button. If two players tie for the highest card then it is decided by suit. Spade is highest, followed by Hearts, then Diamonds, and Clubs is the lowest.
4. Place the Dealer Button in front of the player who drew the highest card.
5. Make sure the Blinds are paid and in place. The Small Blind is always the player to the left of the Dealer Button. The Big Blind is always the player to the left of the Small Blind. The Blinds should be decided at the start of the game.
6. Time to deal.
Dealing Texas Holdem
1. Properly shuffle the deck
2. Make sure the Dealer Button is in the right place. At the start of every new game the Dealer Button must be moved one player clockwise or one player to the left.
3. Make sure the Blinds are paid and in the right place. At the start of every new game the Blinds (like the Dealer Button) will be moved one player clockwise or one player to the left.
4. Deal one card face down to every player clockwise starting with the Small Blind. The Small Blind is the first position. The Dealer button will be the last to receive a card. Continue till all players have two cards. All player’s should look and the two cards and not show them to other players. The two cards given are called Hole Cards. The dealer will keep the remaining cards in a pile face down next to him, which is the dealer’s pile.
5. Collect the first round of betting chips. The players must decide whether they like their hand and want to continue or if they want to fold or discard their hand. This round of betting is called Preflop. The first person to make this decision will be the player directly to the left of the Big Blind and will then continue clockwise. The last player to act on the first betting round will be the Big Blind (not all the betting rounds will start with this player). The players must put in the correct amount to continue. The players will always put in equal chips. *See bottom for information on if players run out of chips. The players have four options.
If A Player Wants To Call: A player must put in the Big Blind amount to continue playing. Example: If the game is $5-10. The Big Blind will be $5. Hence, calling amount will be $5 in this betting round. Betting amounts change later in the game. All bets will be placed in front of the player and left for the dealer to collect when the betting round is finished.
If A Player Wants To Raise: If a player decides he wants to continue and wants to put more money in, the player can put in two bets, double the calling amount, this is a Raise. All players must match that amount to continue playing. Example: If the game is $5-10 and a players wants to Raise he will have to put in $10, two bets, in this betting round.
If The Player Wants To Re-Raise: If a player wants to make the Raise amount higher he may Re-Raise. He must call the bets have been made and then add one more bet to it. The Re-Raise amount will be 3 bet, that is 3 times the Big Blind. Example: If the Blinds are $5-10, the Re-Raise amount will $15.
Fold: On a player’s turn he has the option to fold and give the cards back to the dealer if he wishes not to continue or call the bets. The cards will never be returned and the player will not to participate in the rest of the game and will have zero chance of winning.
To call, one bet = $5
To raise, two bets = $10
To Re-Raise, three bets= $15
6. Players are allowed to Raise each other up-to four times in each round of betting. All player’s must do only one action at a time clockwise until all player’s have put correct bet amounts in the Pot to continue. Example: Your in a hand with Player’s A, B, C , D, and E. If Player A Raises, and player B Re-Raises. Player A must wait till Players C, D, and E have acted to call the Re-Raise or continue betting.
7. After all the bets are in, the dealer must make a pile with the chips in the center of table. The pile is called a Pot. The dealer will also collect the cards that were folded and make a separate pile of cards close to him. Make sure that it is clear where the Pot ends and is stacked well so other players don’t confuse their chips with the Pot. Same with the folded cards pile. The folded cards pile is called the Muck. When the game is over the Pot will be awarded to the hand with the best value.
8. “Burn” a card and deal the “Flop”. The dealer must take the remaining dealer’s pile and set the top card face down on the table to be discarded. This card will never be seen, it’s called the Burn card. Before each round of community cards that are dealt face up you will have to discard one card face down before the community cards are shown. Next, he will take the top three cards and lay them face up in the middle of the table in a row for all players to view. The first three cards to be dealt face up is called the Flop. The Flop is community cards that all player may use along with their own two hole cards.
9. The next round of betting starts. Because there are not forced bets in this round the first player to act is the player to the left of the Dealer Button. This player was originally the Small Blind. If the Small Blind folded which ever player is closest to that position clockwise will go first. All players have five options from this round of betting on:
Check: If there are no bets in front of any player to call then a player may check and has the option not to put any chips in. However, if a player after him puts in a bet or raises on his turn he must put in the equal raise amount or fold.
Bet: A player may put a bet in if he thinks his cards will win. The bet amount will be the size of the Big Blind. Example: In a $5-10 game, the bet amount will be $5 on the Flop. All players must match his bet to continue playing.
Raise: A player may put in an additional bet if he chooses to. The player can only raise if another player has put in a bet. There will now be two bets the players will have to call to continue. Example: In a $5-10 game, if a player wants to raise it will be $10 which is the amount of two bets.
Re-Raise: A player may put in a third bet. The player can only Re-Raise if someone has already Raised. You can Re-Raise up to four times.
Fold: On a player’s turn he has the option to fold and give the cards back to the dealer if he wishes not to continue and not call the bets. The cards will never be returned. The player will not to participate in the rest of the game and will have zero chance of winning.
Like the first round of betting, all players may do only one action at a time in order (see example above).
10. After all the players have acted the dealer will collect the chips that were bet and put them into the Pot. He will also collect the folded cards and put them into the Muck pile.
11. “Burn” and deal the “Turn.” The dealer must Burn another card (deal the top card face down and lay it on the previous Burn card, in the Burn pile) from the dealer’s pile. Next, he must lay one card face up next to the first three community cards, this card is called the Turn card.
12. The next round of betting starts. In this round of betting the amount to raise, bet, and call is double the Big Blind. Example: In a $5-10 game, to bet the amount would be $10, to raise would be $20, and so on. The game will continue exactly like the previous round with the bets being doubled. Please see #8.
13. After all the player’s have acted the dealer will collect the chips that were bet and put them into the Pot. He will also collect the folded cards and put them into the Muck pile.
14.“Burn” and deal the “River.” This is the last round of betting. The dealer must Burn another card (deal the top card face down and lay it in the Burn pile) from the dealer’s pile. Next he must lay one card face up next to the four community cards, this card is called the River card.
15. The last round of betting starts. In this round of betting the amount to raise, bet, and call is still double the Big Blind (like the turn). Example: In a $5-10 game, to bet the amount would be $10, to raise would be $20, and so on. The game will continue exactly like the previous round with the bets being doubled. Please see #8.
16. After all the player’s have acted the dealer will collect the chips that were bet and put them into the Pot. He will also collect the folded cards and put them into the Muck pile.
17. The dealer must decide the winner. The dealer now has to compare the remaining player’s hands and see whose hand has the highest value for the winner. This is called the Showdown. *See below for which hands beat what and what happens in the event of a tie. After the winner is declared the dealer will push all the chips in the Pot to the winning player. The dealer doesn’t have to stack the chips but the player should keep his winnings organized.
Hand Rankings (from highest to lowest):
Royal Flush: A Royal Flush is the highest ranking hand you can have in Texas Holdem Poker and consists of 5 cards of the same suit with Ace being the high card and a 10 being the low card. For example: all cards are diamonds A, K, Q, j, 10
Straight Flush: Next in rank is a straight flush. All cards are the same suit. There are 5 cards in sequential order. For example: all cards are spades 7,6,5,4,3.
Four of a Kind: In Texas Holdem Poker Ranking, only a Straight Flush or Royal flush may beat this hand. The hand consists of four cards of the same value followed by an odd card. For example: 2 of clubs, 2 of diamonds, 2 of hearts, 2 of spades, and a 4.
Full House: This Texas Holdem poker hand consists of 3 of a kind with a pair. For example: 5 of diamonds, 5 of clubs, 5 of spades, 2 of hearts, 2 of clubs.
Flush: A flush consists of 5 cards that are of the same suit. They do not have to be in order. For example: J of hearts, 9 of hearts, 6 of hearts, 4 of hearts, 2 of hearts.
Straight: A straight is 6th in order of rank of Texas Holdem Poker hands. It consists of 5 cards that are in sequential order. They do not have to be the same suit. For example: 2 of clubs, 3 of spades, 4 of diamonds, 5 of hearts, 6 of clubs.
Three of a kind: In this hand you hold 3 cards of one kind such as sevens, then 2 cards such as a 3 of clubs and a Queen of hearts.
Two pair: This hand consists of 2 cards such as 5’s and 2 cards such as Jack followed by an unrelated card such as a 3.
One Pair: One pair is lowest in order of rank in Texas Holdem Poker. This hand consists of 2 ten’s for example and 3 other unrelated cards.
High Card: Out of the best five ranking cards, ace being the highest.
Additional Information:
If a player runs out of chips: If a player runs out of chips (this is called All-In) he can only win the same amount from other players as he put in. The dealer will make a second pot will the extra chips that the player who went All-In can not participate in. The All-In player can only watch the rest of the hand.
In the event of a tie: If two players have the same ranking hand the Pot will be split down the middle and given to the two winners. If there is an extra chip left over the chip will be award by the highest card’s suit. See #3 in beginning set-up.
