Texas Holdem Poker Rules

The term Texas Holdem poker rules (which is derived from Texas Hold 'Em - Texan English for 'Hold Them') refers to one of the most popular versions of poker, especially in casinos.

In recent times, Texas Holdem Poker Rules version of poker has been widely popularized by the wide exposure it has received in the World Poker Tour (run by the Travel Channel) and the World Series of Poker (run by ESPN).

Playing poker using the Texas Holden Poker Rules involves four major actions, namely the shuffle (with the blinds and the deals done at this stage), betting, the flop, the fourth and the fifth streets - and the final betting, which is followed by declaration of the winner.

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At the shuffle stage, the person playing poker using Texas Holdem Rules deals with all the classic 52 cards which make the standard poker deck - which the player has to shuffle fully if the game is to be termed as fair. Shuffling is closely followed by putting the blinds - which is essentially placing money in the poker pot before the cards are dealt, to effectively make Texas Holdem Rules Poker a betting game. In the version played in casinos, the process of dealing is automated through a round disk which moves round from player to player, so that all that a player has to do is place bets, with no one actually doing the 'dealing.'

The shuffling and dealing complete, the effective bet-making begins, and this is where the fun of the game is, as every participant who gets a turn to bet can either 'fold' 'raise' or 'call' - moves which determine what they eventually come of out the game with.

To insure against the possibility of one of the participants cheating in the game, the topmost card in the deck is burned (which simply involves removing it). This is then followed by the flipping of the cards onto the table, which is typically followed by yet another round of betting by the participants.

In the fourth and fifth streets of the game, two more cards that happen to be on top of the deck are burnt (removed from the deck), followed by the third and fourth rounds of betting - the first and the second having taken place immediately after the shuffle and during the flop.

During all the previous stages, the participants are supposed to have accumulated a 'community' of cards which they consider their best bet, and it is during the final betting stage - where the winner will be made manifest that these are brought to light. The winner, in this case, is the player with the best hand where a hand is described as the combination of cards that a player happens to be holding, which could be anything from the royal flush (which is the best possible hand in poker) to the high card (which is considered the worst possible hand in poker), but which, in the absence of better hands would still be one used to judge the winner in a given Texas Holdem Rules game - and many other types of 'hands' in between the Royal flush and the 'high card.'

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