Texas Hold’em is the community-card game with two private cards per player and five shared cards. This guide explains that international format. Our playable poker duel instead uses only three community cards.
In this guide
From preflop to river
Two hole cards are followed by preflop betting. The flop supplies three shared cards, the turn a fourth and the river a fifth, with betting after each phase. At showdown, use the best five of seven available cards, including two, one or zero hole cards. Small and big blinds are forced contributions before dealing.
Further reading: PokerStars: Texas Hold’em rules
Position and the heads-up exception
With more than two players, preflop action starts with the first active player left of the big blind; after the flop it begins with the first active player left of the button. Heads-up, the button is also the small blind: first before the flop, last afterwards. Position therefore determines which actions you have seen before acting.
Further reading: World Poker Federation: Texas Hold’em
No-limit is a betting structure
No-limit generally allows betting up to the available stack, subject to minimum-raise rules. Pot-limit caps the maximum raise by the pot after a hypothetical call. Fixed-limit prescribes betting increments. These labels do not change hand rankings. A different limit structure need not be a different card game.
Further reading: WSOP Online: Betting and raising rules
An original pot-limit calculation
The pot contains 60 before the action. The first player bets 20, making it 80. You have paid nothing on this round. A hypothetical call costs 20 and makes the pot 100. The maximum pot-sized raise is another 100: your total contribution is 120, consisting of a 20-chip call and a 100-chip raise.
This calculation assumes adequate stacks. It answers only what amount would be legal. Whether raising is a good decision depends on cards, opponents and possible further action. “Maximum legal” does not mean “strategically recommended”.
Read the board carefully
First check which straights and flushes are possible. A paired board allows full houses. Four cards of one suit do not automatically give you a flush: five suited cards must appear in your best selection. State a possible opposing hand completely instead of merely assuming the opponent “has something”.