Bet chips and play poker! It is played between 2 and 10 players, and a game can last a very long time. Learn the detailed rules of No Limit Texas Hold’em, the most popular poker game.
Equipment
– 52 cards (without jokers) and 2 or more players.
– Chips representing the best you will play
The dealer and the blinds
The dealer
The dealer is the person who deals the cards to the players. He is represented by a single chip with the word “dealer” written on it. This chip is not mandatory, but it helps with visual cues.
Blinds or Betting Requirements
There are two types of blinds in poker. There is the small blind and the big blind. Players in possession of these chips must always bet even if they have no cards in their hand.
The amount of the small and big blinds is always set at the beginning of the game. However, it is important to note that the big blind must always be twice the amount of the small blind.
The purpose of the blinds is to force players to bet when they want to make a trick or a move.
: The small blind
: The big blind
Moving the dealer chip and the blind chips
- If you want to spot the blinds in a poker game, you need to find the dealer chip first.
- The small blind is always to the left of the dealer and the big blind to the left of the small blind.
- After each round of play, all of these chips move one player to the left.
- On the next round, the big blind will be the player who was to the left of the big blind, the small blind will be the player who was holding the big blind and the dealer will be the player who was holding the small blind.
- The game of poker is always played in a clockwise direction
Goal of the game
You must be able to bet chips or money (always symbolized by chips). By winning a round, you win your opponents’ chips.
The ultimate goal is to increase your money, or even ruin all your opponents.
How the game works
- The players holding the small and big blinds must bet the amount set at the beginning of the game
- The dealer deals two cards to each player, one at a time
- The rest of the cards will be placed face down next to the dealer
- The players look at their cards discreetly, without the others being able to see them
The Preflop
- This is the first stage of a poker round or the first bid. All players must look at their cards and decide whether or not to play.
- The first player to call in the preflop round is the player to the left of the big blind
- If he plans to play this round, he must call the amount in the big blind or raise a higher amount
- If they are not going to play, then they must discard their cards or “fold”.
- All players wishing to play the current round must call the amount of the player who raised in turn or the big blind if no one raised.
- When all players wishing to play have all bet, all chips will be placed in the center of the table and the first cards will be revealed.
The Flop
- Before the flop cards are revealed, the dealer must remove (or “burn”) the first card from the deck face down
- The first 3 cards of the deck, or flop, are then revealed to the players and placed side by side in the center of the table
- The first player to call on the flop or second bet is the player holding the small blind chip
- He may decide to check, i.e. not bet, and pass the call to the next player
- He may also decide to bet chips and all players who wish to play the current round will have to follow the amount bet
- A player may decide to discard his cards or fold, if he does not intend to play the current round. He will lose the money he placed on that round.
- After all players have bet or checked, then the next round can begin
—: The first card burned
—: The flop
The River
The dealer discards or burns the first card of the deck face down again
- The first card in the deck is then revealed to the players and becomes the River
- The first player to call is always the one with the small blind chip
The round proceeds as in the flop and after all players have checked or bet, the final round can begin
—: Second burnt card
—: The River
The Turn
- The dealer discards or burns face down the first card of the deck
- The first card of the deck will be revealed to the players and it will be the Turn or the fourth bet
The player in the small blind has the first call and the round continues as in preflop, flop and river
—: Third card burned
—: The Turn
Winning a round of poker
√ When all the bets have been collected in the center of the table and the last card (the turn) has been revealed, all players will take turns revealing their cards, starting with the player in the small blind.
√ Whoever has the highest card combination of all the players still in play wins all the bets (the chips in the center of the table).
Note:
♦ It is possible that all players fold or discard their cards at the very beginning of a round. This can be caused by a very high bet from one player or by cards that cannot be played. At this point, no cards will be revealed (flop, river, turn), the bets (the blinds if no player has called the raise) will be obtained by the player still in play and the next round will begin.
♦ A round may also end on the flop or river when no player wants to play because of a very high bet or because of unplayable cards. In this case, the player who raised the bet wins all the chips in the middle of the table. A new round of play begins.
♦ Shift the dealer and blinds chips to the left when you start a new round. This will allow all players to bet at some point.
The different card combinations in poker
When you play poker, you need to combine five cards: your two cards in your hand and three cards on the board (the entire flop, river and turn). Here are all the possible combinations in poker, from the weakest to the most powerful.
The high:
This is the weakest combination, because there isn’t even a combination. It’s just a matter of comparing the highest cards if they have no connection to the board. The ranking of cards goes from 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King to Ace.
Pair:
2 cards of the same rank (two 4s, two 10s, two Aces, etc.)
Double Pair:
2 pairs of cards of the same value (two 6s + two 9s, etc.).
Three of a Kind:
3 cards of the same value (three 10s, three 5s, three 9s, etc.). The player who has the three of a kind with the highest card wins.
Straight:
A numerical sequence of five cards of different suits.
Example: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9/
Flush:
5 cards of the same suit and symbol. Example: 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack of Hearts (all 5 cards are hearts)
Full house:
Three of a kind and a pair. If two players each have a full house, the player with the highest three of a kind wins.
Example: Three of a kind and a pair of queens.
Four of a Kind:
4 cards of the same rank
Example: Four 5s, four 9s, four Aces, etc.
Straight Flush:
A numerical sequence of five cards of the same suit and symbol.
Example: 8, 9, 10, Jack and Queen of Hearts (all 5 cards have the heart symbol)
Royal Flush: To have precisely 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit and symbol.
Example: 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of Spades (all 5 cards have the Spade symbol).
This is the most powerful card combination in poker. It is impossible for two players to each have a royal flush during a round.
If 2 players have the same combination (1 three of a kind, 2 pairs…): the player with the highest card combination wins. If the combinations are strictly identical, the highest card next to it wins.
If all the cards are identical, they will share the winnings of the round.
Example: One player has a pair of deuces and a pair of aces. The other player has a pair of tens and a pair of kings. The player with the pair of Aces wins because he has the higher pair of Aces.
If both players have a pair of aces and a pair of 9s, the player with a king, while the other has only a jack, wins the round.
