First, you need to learn the hand rankings, which are the rankings from highest to lowest. They are based on the best five cards that each player has. They are: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, and one pair. Remember that in Texas holdem poker, there are fewer cards that make up the best hand and more are left that are lesser ranked.
Second, you need to learn the starting poker hands. They are the small and big blind, and the person to the left of the dealer is the small blind. The big blind is the player next to the dealer. The player is the first to act behind the big blind.
Third, you need to know what the better hands are before you even see the cards. Three of a kind is the only winning hand of the five. That means that you have three cards of the same rank. The four of a kind hand is four cards of the same rank. The full house hand is made up of three cards of the same rank and the two pair hand is made up of two cards of the same rank.
Fourth, you need to know what all the other players are holding in their hands. That means that you need to analyze what other players may have, should they decide to play their hand.
Once you know these, you will be ready to play. The Siegal libel rules require no betting minimums and maximums. Should you choose to play with the big blind, the casino allows you to bet double, or up to ten times, the big blind into your bet box. All bets, including the blinds, are in the box. When you are done betting, all players pick up their cards and the player sitting left to the big blind starts the action.
The other players, with the exception of the big blind, need to fold, call, or raise to continue playing. The action starts with the player sitting to the left of the dealer, regardless of whether the dealer is still active in the game or not. If the dealer is still active, the dealer button rotates one player to the left after each hand, so that the big blind sits in the final position. Each player has the ability to call, raise, or fold, after each hand.
The winner is the player who has the best hand, as defined by the ranking chart. The hand rankings are as followed:
Royal Flush – any five cards of the same suit, Ten Through Suited – any Ten Through Card ranked sequence, Any two pair – two cards of the same rank, Ace and King, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two.
The Showdown
Once the hand is over, and the round is complete, the dealer button moves to the next player to the left, and the new hand begins. The dealer button moves as far left as the player before him, the small blind moves as far left as the player before him, and the big blind moves as far left as the player before him.
If more than one player is left in the game after the showdown, the cards are shown, and the highest hand wins. If the highest hand is tied, the next highest hand wins. This is repeated again until the highest hand wins. When the highest hand wins, actions are completed for all remaining players, and the hand is completed. The Showdown does not change the layout of the Texas hold em table.
After the conclusion of the hand, the chips are placed in the center of the table “for the beast.” The blinds are then paid, and the cards are dealt out “face up” Telegraphically across the table. When all of the play is completed, the Showdown begins.
FINAL STAGE-THE RAZZLE
The Dealer places five cards face up in the middle of the table. They do not remain in order. In fact, they do not even need to be dealt at all, as the order in which they appear does not matter. They could be anywhere in the order, even in the middle of the table. The only requirement is that the cards be dealt from the top of the deck, face up.
There are now 4 hole cards in the middle of the table. You now need to use two of them in your hand, and you must do so before any of the other players can.No matter how many other players receive cards during the Showdown, you go into the showdown with only 2 cards. Your two hole cards are called the “pocket rockets” and you will surely regret not having them!
Now an all-new hand is begun. It’s now called the “river”.
