texas hold 'em

Texas hold'em poker is a card game. It is played with a typical 52 card deck. Hold'em can be played with as little as two players (going "heads up"), up to a max of eleven players. Regular poker hand ranks apply to this game. The typical hold'em game goes as follows and is broken down into five categories.

preflop:

Starting with the dealer button, each person is dealt one card. Then a second card. Both cards are face down. After everyone receives their pocket/hole cards (the two cards face down just dealt), then betting occurs. Note: the dealer button is a actually a button that says "dealer" on it or "d" that is passed around the table after each hand. It signifies where the dealing is done from.

flop:

The dealer turns over three cards in the middle of the table (called "the flop"). These are community cards that each player can use to create the best hand possible out of. Once again betting occurs.

turn:

The dealer turns over another card making four community cards. This fourth card is called "the turn" or sometimes "fourth street". Betting occurs again.

river:

The dealer turns over the fifth and last community card. This is called "the river" or "fifth street". Betting occurs for the last time.

showdown:

The remaining players in the hand show their cards in order from the person who bet first. Each player uses his two cards, and the five community cards to create the best hand (5 cards total). A player can use any combination so even if one card from his pocket cards and four of the community cards creates the best hand, it is fine. When all five of the cards in the community make the best hand then everyone splits the pot. This is called "the board plays". Also note that in any time during the game a player can fold and get out of the hand. All bets will be lost at that point.

the hands in descending rank order:

1. The ultimate poker hand is the royal flush - Ace, King, Queen, Jack and ten - all of the same suit

2. The straight flush - five cards of the same suit in sequence (the ace counts as 1)

3. Four of a kind - four cards of the same rank, such as four jacks or four sevens and one other card. The higher the rank, the higher the hand.

4. The full house - three of one rank and two of another e.g. three eights and two fives. The higher the set of three cards, the higher the hand.

5. The flush - five cards of the same suit. The higher the cards, the higher the hand, starting with the highest ranking card.

6. The straight - five cards in sequence. The higher the cards, the higher the hand, starting with the highest ranking card. The ace can be high - above the King, or low - below the two.

7. Three of a kind - three cards of the same rank and two of different ranks. The higher the three of the same rank, the higher the hand, with the rank of the other two counting if the threes are the same.

8. Two pairs - two cards of one rank and two cards of another, with one other card of a different rank. Ranked by the highest pair, then the other pair and then the fifth card.

9. One pair - two cards of one rank and three of different ranks. Ranked by the pair followed by the next three cards in rank order.

10. High card - any hand that is not one of the above i.e. five different, non-sequential cards of at least two different suits. Ranked by high card, then second highest etc.

N.B. All suits are of equal ranking and are not used to decide the winner in the case of identical hands - the pot is split equally