Texas Hold Em is a variant of standard poker, in which players attempt to win the game by having the wining hand. It uses a deck of fifty-two cards, consisting of four suits of thirteen cards each. Each suit has an ace, which can count as either the lowest or highest card in a suit, as well as numerical cards between two and ten, followed by three face cards: the jack, the queen, and the king. Hands are a collection of five cards, with the hands that are more difficult to obtain being able to beat more common ones. The types of hands that can be created under Texas Hold Em rules are as follows: high card (no other hands, card of highest value is counted), pair (two cards of equal value, such as two threes), two pair (two sets of two), three of a kind (three cards of equal value), straight (five cards of ascending value, as in a three, four, five, six, and seven), flush (five cards of the same suit), full house (one pair and one set of three of a kind), four of a kind, and a straight flush (a straight of the same suit).
Under Texas Hold Em rules, if two players have the same hand, then the hand with the higher value is counted. For example, if two players both have a pair, then the higher pair wins. If both players have the same pair, then the highest card outside of the pair is counted. This is known as a kicker. Under these rules, the worst possible hand is a two, three, four, five, and seven, with no flush, as this creates a “seven high card” hand. The best possible hand is a straight flush with an ace as the high card, and is unbeatable.
Texas Hold Em rules state that each player be dealt two cards, which are referred to as the “pocket.” Each player then places bets based on these cards, with the first and second players following the dealer automatically paying “blinds.” The player directly after the dealer pays a small blind, while the next player pays the large blind. These blinds scale up throughout the course of the game, and are designed to keep players from being able to sit every hand out.
After players have bet, three “communal” cards are laid on the table, which all the players share as part of their hands. This is called the flop. Another round of bets, then another card is laid face up on the table (the “turn”). Another round of bets, then a final card on the table, called the “river.” After a final round of bets, any remaining players show their hands, and the winning player collects the pot.
