How To Play Texas Hold'em Poker

Texas Hold'em is one of the most popular card games watched and played worldwide. It seems that if you aren't seeing an advertisement for a charity game or listening to someone talk about it, you see it on television. The hottest craze for home parties now include a Texas Hold'em night. With this type of party, everyone gathers around the Texas Hold'em table and tries their luck at being the chip leader for the evening.

If you would like to have a Texas Hold'em party but don't know where to start, you'll find the game is easy and the entertaining is a breeze if you have a few items ready for the big evening.

Things you'll need for your Texas Hold'em Party:

Chips, lots of chips both the potato kind and the kind you use in card play are important additions for your Texas Hold'em party. You also need a Texas Hold'em table or folding tabletop, cards, a dealer button and lots of food and drink. While the Texas Hold'em table isn't mandatory, it offers an expanded playing area and a professional look to the party.

The object of the game is to use the 5 community cards and the two cards in your hand to make the best five-card poker hand. A royal flush, ten through ace of the same suit, is the top hand, followed by a straight flush, four of a kind, a full house, a flush, a straight, three of a kind, two pair, a pair and finally high card.

Rules for the Texas Hold'em Game:

One player is designated as the dealer for the first hand, the deal then continues to the left for each card game following that hand. Normally someone passes out one card to each person and the person with the highest card is the dealer.

Small and Big Blinds: The first person to the left of the dealer is the small blind. They have to put out half the minimum bet for the game. If the table minimum is $2, they must put out $1. To the left of that player is the big blind. The big blind has to bet the table minimum. Both the small blind and big blind place their bets before the dealer deals the cards.

The dealer shuffles the cards and begins to deal to the left, one card to each person, including himself if he's playing. Then he deals a second card to each person. Everyone looks at their cards and starting with the player to the left of the big blind, either folds which means he doesn't play, places the minimum wager on the table or raises the bet.

The dealer then picks up the stack of cards, burns one, which simply means he discards the card face down so the other players don't see it, and puts three cards down face up in the middle of the table, one at a time, on the Texas Hold'em table. This is the flop. Betting then begins with the small blind and goes to the left.

The dealer then burns another card and deals the turn. Again, everyone bets, checks or folds. Again, the dealer burns a card by putting it face down on the Texas Hold'em table and deals the river. The final round of betting takes place. When the hand is over, the button moves to the left and the next person becomes the dealer.

You can have a lot of fun at home Texas Hold'em parties. A Texas Hold'em table and real chips just make the game more realistic. As prizes for the winner, consider a pair of dark sunglasses or a uni-bomber sweatshirt like some of the pro's wear.