CASINO PARTY
How to Play Poker (Texas Hold 'Em)
Poker is a betting game in which each player is playing against the other players. Each game consists of several betting rounds. In each round, all players must put an equal amount of money into the pot or else choose to fold, meaning they cannot win that hand. At the end of the game, all remaining players show their cards, and the player with the highest hand (see chart) wins all of the money in the pot. If only one player remains, that player wins the pot without showing their cards.
In Texas Hold ’Em, each player is dealt two cards (hole cards). After a betting round, the dealer turns up three cards in the center of the table (the “flop”). After another betting round, the dealer turns up a fourth card (the “turn”). After another betting round, the dealer turns up a fifth card (the “river”). After a final betting round, the players make their best poker hand by combining their two hole cards with the five center cards and choosing the best five cards. A button, which marks the last player to bet in each round, rotates among the players after each hand.
Standard betting rules are as follows. In the first betting round, the player to the right of the button must bet the amount designated as the small blind; the next player must bet the big blind. Each following player must call (match the previous bets), raise an amount equal to the small blind, or fold. No more than three raises (not counting the blinds) are permitted per round. The second round is the same as the first except there are no blinds. The third and fourth rounds are the same as the second, except each bet or raise is in the amount of the big blind.
In a no limit game, the betting is the same except that bets or raises may be larger than the amounts listed above. There is no limit to the number of raises in a round or to the size of a bet or raise, except that a player may not bet more chips than any active opponent has at the table. If a player wishes to make the maximum bet, they call “all in” and push all their chips into the pot or, if they have more chips than an opponent, they push in the amount of chips equal to the opponent’s holdings. If a player bets all of their chips and loses, they must leave the table.
(In a real casino, the house dealer collects a small fee from the pot before the winner collects. In Linley’s casino, there is no house fee.)
Strategy tips: A good player will often fold after receiving their two hole cards. In a game with several players, good starting hands include an ace, two face cards, a pair (preferably 9s or better), or consecutive cards of the same suit, which might become a straight or a flush. The winning hand is often a high pair or two pair, unless there is a pair on the board or three cards of the same suit or three that are close enough to allow a player to make a straight.
