Texas Hold'em Texas Hold'em is arguably the most popular form of poker. If you are just starting to play, then this is the game to learn. It is widely considered to have the most strategy of all poker games, yet the rules are quite simple. Consult the Poker Glossary if you don't understand any of the terms. Limit or No Limit ?? For beginners, Fixed Limit is the place to start - it is possible to make several mistakes and still survive - whereas in No Limit Poker, one mistake and most probably, you're a goner !! In Limit Hold'em, bets and raises are restricted to the blind levels. On a Limit $2/$4 table, the Big Blind would be $2 and the Small Blind would be $1. The Pre-Flop and Flop bets must be $2 and a raise would mean betting an additional $2. The Turn & River Bets would be $4 with raises of $4. No Limit is the most popular variant of Hold'em. It means that any player at ANY time can bet or raise an amount limited only by the amount of chips in front of him. By going 'all-in', he bets all the chips he has in one go. If someone with an even bigger stack raises him, the first player does not automatically lose but will only win the amount equal to the size of his own stack. To Start: One player acts as dealer. This position is called the 'button' and it rotates clockwise after every hand. The two players to the left of the dealer are the small blind and the big blind, respectively. They are the only players who have to put money in the pot before the cards are dealt. Pre-Flop Every player receives two cards face down. These are your 'hole' cards. The first round of betting begins with the player sitting immediately to the left of the big blind, known as being 'under the gun'. This player can: Call - match the amount bet in the big blind, Raise - increase the amount bet, or Fold - surrender his cards and stake in the game. When the betting returns to the player who made the big blind (the first full bet), this player can 'check' or opt to stay in the game without adding anything to the pot. However, if an opponent has raised, the big blind has three options: he must fold, call, or re-raise. The Flop When the first betting round is completed, three community cards are placed face up on the table. This is called the flop. The second round of betting begins with the first remaining player seated to the left of the button and continues in a clockwise direction. Each player has the option to Check, Raise or Fold although once someone has raised, then the others must match the bet by calling or fold or re-raise. The Turn When the second round of betting is finished, a fourth community card is flipped face up on the table. This is called the 'turn' or 'Fourth Street'. The third round of betting commences with the first remaining player sitting to the left of the button and continues clockwise. The River When the third round of betting is over, a fifth community card is flipped face up on the table. This is called the 'river' or 'Fifth Street'. The fourth round of betting starts with the first remaining player seated to the left of the button and continues to move clockwise. The Showdown Once all betting has completed, then if there are more than one player left in the game, there is a showdown in which the players reveal their cards and the highest hand wins (see Rank of Hands). If two players share an identical hand, the pot is split.