How to Play Texas Hold’em: The Beginner’s Guide

Learn How to Play Texas Hold'em

If you’d like to learn how to play Texas Hold’em, the world’s most popular version of poker, you’ve come to the right place.

This easy-to-learn, hard-to-master game has no house edge, as players play against one another, competing for chips and trying to outsmart their rivals in single-table or multi-table events.

We aim to teach you the basics of the game so you can compete against other players at a beginner level – and lay the foundations so you can, with practice, become a more skilled poker player in the future.

Basic Rules of Poker: Texas Hold’em Hands

To learn how to play Texas Hold’em, you should first know the value of each poker hand. Higher value hands always beat lower value hands, whilst ties are decided based on the values of the cards that form each player’s hand (a pair of Ks will always beat a pair of Qs, for example).

Texas Hold’em is played with one deck – every card is unique.

These combinations can be formed by using the player’s two original cards, as well as the cards dealt by the croupier on the table.

Texas Hold’em Terms – A Glossary for New Players

One of the most challenging aspects of learning to play Texas Hold’em is understanding the terms that are used during a game. This glossary will help you understand the most basic concepts that you’ll encounter at a poker table.

Betting: The Four Scenarios where Bets are Placed in Texas Hold’em

Players cannot choose to bet at any point during a round of Texas Hold’em. There are four rounds of betting that are only cut short if all but one players fold. If the latter happens, the remaining player will take the pot, all cards will be collected, and a round will start anew.

Before the flop

Every wager made before the flop is done without knowing which cards will form the board. This includes the small and big blinds, as well as subsequent bets placed before the flop.

Although the big blind and the small blind are forced bets, once the two player cards are dealt, whoever is left to the person that makes the big blind can start the betting round. This person has the initiative and is referred to as the player “under the gun”.

After the Flop

Once the first three community cards are dealt by the dealer, the second betting round begins. By this point, players now have five cards at their disposal to form a winning hand: the two face-down cards that they hold, and the three cards on the flop.

Since the flop is the biggest card reveal in Texas Hold’em, the actions taken by players during this round are seen as a defining moment for the game. You should take into consideration various aspects, such as:

• What other players may have, based on their actions during flop betting
• How your opponents play during these rounds
• Whether you should continue betting, based on your current cards

After the Turn

The turn betting rounds starts as soon as the dealer burns one card and deals the fourth face-up card on the board.

The turn is particularly important during rounds where the pot has been continuously fed during the pre-flop and flop. This might be the point where the pot grows to a point where you may no longer want to commit to your hand.

You should consider these aspects:

• The turn can be seen as a continuation of the flop, as a way to solidify your position in the game
• The core strength of your current hand should determine the course of action, together with the actions of other players. For example, if you bluffed during the flop and another player raises during the turn, it might be time to fold.
• Use this round to set yourself up for the river

After the River

The river betting round starts when the croupier deals the fifth face-up card on the board, and it is seen as the crucial round of a game of poker.

These are some aspects to consider when making bets after the river:

• During the river, pot odds need to be taken into consideration, as this is the last betting round. This is where the true value of your bet will be defined.
• The strategy that you have committed to during the previous rounds will define the way you play the river.
• Having a later position in the river is better for making smarter bets.

Basic Hands to Play Preflop

Since pre-flop play involves making a decision before community cards are revealed, you can use the following sheet to determine when it’s a good idea to continue playing, based on your position in the game.

How to Play Poker Hands: Techniques & Different Plays

It’s impossible to learn how to play Texas Hold’em overnight. Good players hone their skills by practicing for years, competing against people who know what they’re doing – and even against players that simply play for the sake of it.

Good players consider many factors when placing bets. Their current position on the table, the odds of getting dealt certain cards, and even the types of bets that they place are important factors to consider when playing a game of poker.

Position when bidding

As you can see in the graph that we’ve shown above, your position in the game will directly impact the way you play.

• An early position gives you the initiative to set the tone of the game. These are the three sets closest to the dealer. You don’t know how others will play their hands, which is deemed a huge disadvantage.
• A middle position is usually set between whoever is “under the gun” and the two or three late position players, based on table size. It’s an intermediate position that allows you to take some risks.
• Being in a late position means that you’re among the last two or three players to bet. By this point, you know what others have done – and you can act accordingly.

Odds and outs

Odds and outs are used to determine the value of your hand, and they dictate whether you should continue playing based on pure probability. Poker is a game of math, after all, and whoever is able to understand odds the best will have a better chance of winning.

Odds represent the probability of hitting certain hands. Outs are cards that could make your current hand better. Therefore, odds represent the probability to hit at out.

Since an out is a card that can improve a hand, the more outs your current hand has, the better hand it is. For example:

• A pair of 2s with nothing else on the flop only has two specific outs: the other 2s
• A Q and a K of diamonds, with an Ace and a six of diamonds on the flop, has 9 outs: every other diamond card would improve the hand, turning it into a flush.

Slow play

This is a technique that consists in placing low-value bets when you have a strong hand, at any point during a game, but particularly while betting after the flop and after the turn.

This is an ideal technique to encourage other players to continue betting, or simply prevent them from folding. This helps you to continue building up the pot and set yourself up for a larger win.

Slow play can be followed by a large bet if you’re certain of a win, making other players fold or forcing them to match your current bet.

Bluffing

Bluffing is an action that refers to placing a bet, or taking a chip risk, when you don’t have a strong hand. This is a way to deceive other players and it’s one of the most difficult techniques to master in poker.

Bluffing with a “trash” hand is not always a good idea. Most bluff when they have a high-value card with a low card of the same suit, or two cards of close rank and of the same suit. You can bluff with a terrible hand, but getting your bluffed called means that you’ve committed to a hand that you’re almost assuredly going to lose.

Semi-bluffing

Contrary to full-on bluffing, semi-bluffing is done when you have a hand that won’t win you a game on its own, but that has potential to be improved with additional community cards. In principle, it is just as risky as a complete bluff, but you’re playing for the chance of getting a good card on the flop, turn, or river, depending on when you execute the play.

This should be done by taking into consideration factors such as:

• Your current position in the table
• The actions that other players have taken so far during the current round of betting
• Player tendencies (what you can expect from your opponents)

Free cards

A free card is a term that refers to getting to see an extra community card without paying. This happens when no players place bets during a round and everyone simply checks.

Trying to take a free card is ideal when you don’t have a play yet, and you need more cards to see whether you’ll get the one you need. This is particularly useful when your current hand only has two or three outs and taking a monetary risk may not be the smartest decision you can make.

However, if you have a strong hand, it may be a good idea to avoid free cards by placing a bet and forcing everyone to either place a bet themselves or flop.

Reading your opponent

Learning how your opponents play, and how they react to different situations, is a crucial part of poker. Reading your opponent can be done with the so-called “poker tells”, which are specific behaviors that players show when they’re in different scenarios.

Some of the most common poker tells are:

• Whether your opponents engage in table talk
• The way they handle their chips
• How long it takes them to performan action
• How focused they are during the game

Apart from these common tells, it’s also possible to read players based on their betting patterns. You’ll have to resort to the latter if you’re playing online.