The rules of poker are easy to learn, even if the card game may seem complicated at first glance. Today, we’ll explain how to play the popular variant “Texas Hold’em” at TonyBet Ireland.
Basic Rules of the Poker Game
The goal is to have the best poker hand to win as many chips as possible. It’s essential to make your bets wisely.
At the beginning, each player receives two cards (hole cards).
During the game, up to five community cards will be revealed.
Each player can use these community cards to combine with their hole cards to form a poker hand. A poker hand must always consist of five cards.
The chips that are bet during the game are placed in the center of the table (the pot).
The game ends either when one player wins all the chips (all other players fold) or when a previously set condition is met (e.g., a specific number of rounds or a time limit).
The Course of the Poker Game
Here’s how the poker game proceeds:
One player is always the dealer and receives a special dealer button. The role of the dealer rotates clockwise with each new round.
The two players to the left of the dealer are called “Small Blind” and “Big Blind” (in that order). This means they must place a predetermined bet of chips in the pot. The Big Blind usually has to bet double the Small Blind. All other players do not initially place any bets in the pot.
The two hole cards are dealt.
The player to the left of the Big Blind makes the first bet. This bet must be equal to or greater than the Big Blind.
When betting, players have various options. They can call (match the previous bet), raise (increase the bet), check (pass), or fold (drop out). A check is only possible if the Big Blind’s initial bet has not been raised yet.
If a player chooses to fold, they place their cards face down aside and will not participate in that round. This can be wise to avoid wasting chips. Note: The Small Blind and Big Blind cannot fold before their bets!
Once all players have placed their bets in the pot, three community cards are revealed. This phase is called the “Flop.”
The second betting round starts with the first remaining player (i.e., a player who did not fold in the first round) to the left of the dealer. Immediately afterward, the fourth community card is revealed. This phase is called the “Turn.”
The third betting round also starts with the first remaining player to the left of the dealer, after which the fifth and final community card is revealed. This final phase is called the “River.” No further cards will be revealed after this.
Once all but one player has folded, that player automatically wins and receives all the chips in the pot. This means the round can end after the “Flop” if only one player remains with cards and all the others have folded.
If, after the last betting round, there are still multiple players “in the hand” (still in the game), a showdown occurs. The players reveal their cards, and the best poker hand wins all the chips in the pot.
The Poker Ranking Determines the Winner
The Poker Ranking determines the order of poker hands. You must understand it to determine which player has won. This applies to all common poker variants and is as follows, starting from the lowest poker hand:
- High Card: the highest single card (e.g., an Ace)
- Pair: two cards of the same rank (e.g., two Queens)
- Two Pairs: (e.g., two Queens and two 10s)
- Three of a Kind: three cards of the same value (e.g., three Kings)
- Straight: five consecutive cards (e.g., 10, Jack, Queen, King & Ace)
- Flush: five cards of the same suit (e.g., five clubs)
- Full House: a pair and three of a kind (e.g., two 9s and three Kings)
- Four of a Kind: four cards of the same value (e.g., four Jacks)
- Straight Flush: five consecutive cards of the same suit (e.g., 10, Jack, Queen, King & Ace – all in hearts)
- Royal Flush: the highest possible straight (10-J-Q-K-A) in the same suit – the highest poker hand.