1. Step By Step Texas Holdem
2. How To Play Poker Basic Steps

'How long does it take to learn poker, Dad?'
' All your life, son.'
- Michael Pertwee, Britishplaywright/screenwriter

Professional poker player and poker TV commentator/analyst MikeSexton likes to say, 'Poker can take a moment to learn but alifetime to master.' That's because the rules are easy and onceyou've learned them, poker becomes a game of strategy andpsychology - reading, bluffing and intimidating the otherplayers at the table.

1. As soon as the dealer shuffles the cards, Poker Texas Holdem has rules for the two players to the left of the player with the dealer button pay a mandatory bet called the blind: the first makes the small blind and the second the big blind. Starting with the player on the.
2. The five basic steps are as follows: Players are dealt their cards, and initial bets are placed Community cards are dealt, followed by a round of betting Fourth card is dealt, then another betting.
3. If there is no dealer then a dealer button is placed in front of one player and the cards are dealt from him and in the clockwise direction. After each hand, the dealer button moves one step in the clockwise direction. The two players left of the dealer has to pay the small and the big blind respectively.

Number of Players

Each player is dealt two private cards (' Hole Cards ' or ' Pocket Cards '), after which there is a betting round. Then three community cards are dealt face up (the ' Flop '), followed by a second betting round. Poker has rules and is a game of several players, each player has a position on the table, and the action moves in a clockwise fashion. You play No limit Texas hold’em with a deck of 52 cards, ranging from two to ace. Each card has four different suits (colours); Spades, Clubs, Hearts & Diamonds.

Experienced players consider five to eight players the idealnumber, though players can range from two to 14, depending on thegame. In poker, everyone plays for himself - poker is not aboutpartnerships but one player at the end of the game who has won allthe money wagered.

The Cards

A standard pack of 52 playing cards (sometimes with the additionof one or two Jokers) is used for play, but in professional playand casinos, two packs of different colors are used to speed upplay: one for the current game and one shuffled and prepared forthe next hand. A deck always on deck, so to speak. In casinos andprofessional play, it's customary to change cards often, replacingboth packs at the same time. The seal and cellophane wrap on newdecks are broken in front of all the players. Poker rules allow fora player to call for a new deck of cards at any time after activeplay has been completed.

The Object of Poker

The immediate goal for a poker player is to win all the bets inthe pot during any one deal. Players make bets on their hands thatthey believe (or to give the impression) are the best. For mostversions of poker, the top combination of five cards is consideredthe best hand, but many times, a player actually holding the besthand will be outplayed and intimidated (or bluffed) out of thehand. The overall goal of poker is to be the last player at thetable with all the money when the final hand is dealt.

Callback Basics

As we've already learned, cards are ranked from high to low:King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, with the Ace usedhigh above King or low below 2. There are four suits - spades,hearts, diamonds, clubs - and no suit has a higher ranking than theothers. Poker hands contain five cards and the highest handwins.

Poker is played for money, but it's customary to use chipsdesignated with various denominations to represent money during thegame. Players buy chips from the home game host or house (casino)to buy their seat at the table and cash them out (redeem) for moneyat the end of the game.

The Rules

In every variety of poker, hands are ranked by the cards aplayer holds and/or shares with other players. Games vary in thenumber of cards dealt, hand rankings, shared (or not shared) cards,number of betting rounds and betting procedures or limits. Mostpoker games have a forced bet like an ante or blind to incentivizeplay. The pot grows as players work through the rounds ofbetting.

Once the opening round of cards is dealt (clockwise), playersmust act during their turn, moving clockwise around the table.

When it's their turn, a player can Check, Bet, Fold, Call orRaise depending on action before them in the round:

• CHECK: If there is no bet in the currentround, a player can pass the action clockwise to the next person inthe hand. If everyone checks, the round is complete.

• BET: If no other bets have been made in thecurrent round, a player can make a wager.

• FOLD: A player can forfeit their cards andcannot act again until the next game is dealt.

• CALL: A player can match the highest bet madeso far in the round.

• RAISE: A player can match the highest bet madeso far in the round, then 'raise' it higher. Players who want tostay in the game, have to match the new higher bet.

After each betting round, more cards may be dealt (either hiddenor visible to all players), which may change the best poker handpossible for each player as the game proceeds.

When the last bet or raise has been called during the finalround of betting, the remaining players still in the hand showtheir hands (in order) to all - called the 'showdown' - and theplayer (or players) with the highest ranking hand(s) wins thatpot's wagers. Depending on the game's rules, multiple players canshare one pot equally or it might be divided up based on handhierarchy.

Step By Step Texas Holdem

To summarize:

How To Play Poker Basic Steps

1. If required, initial bets - antes or blinds - are placed in thepot.
2. The dealer deals a set number of cards to all players.
3. After all players look at their own cards, the first playermakes a decision to check, bet or fold.
4. If there is a check and no bet, the second player in therotation decides the same. If there is a bet, the second playermust match or raise the bet or get out of the hand by discardingtheir cards and forfeiting any chips already contributed to thepot.
5. Depending on action before them, each player at the table mustdecide whether to stay in the hand by matching or raising earlierbets or folding. When all remaining players have contributedequally to the pot, the betting round ends.
6. Depending on the poker game being played, more cards may bedealt or players can exchange cards. Active players participate innew round(s) of betting until the final round, which ends in ashowdown.
7. For the showdown, all active players reveal their cards and thebest five-card hand wins the pot.
8. Remember, players win two ways: have the best hand at theshowdown or convince, persuade or intimidate the rest of theplayers to fold. If there is only one active player remaining atany time during the game, that player wins the pot automaticallyand doesn't have to show any cards.