Texas Hold'em Poker Terminology - Betting

We have already covered Blinds. Here is some more betting terminology:

Call: When a player matches the bet of another player.

Check: When a player "Checks", they are not placing a bet. A check can only occur if there have been no other bets placed in the round. Checking means that the player chooses not to bet, but still stays in the game. If you are not sure whether to continue with a game checking gives a player 'free' opportunity to see the next communial(s) card dealt without having to bet any more.

Fold: When a player folds, they are leaving the current game and will no longer be placing any bets on that game. They also forfit any bets made up to that point. They can continue to play on the next deal.

Raise: To raise means you're betting more than the last player. Depending on the type of game you are playing there maybe a limit on how much you can raise by.

All In: To go "All In" means the player is betting everything they have on your hand.

Texas Hold'em Poker Terminology - Pre-flop, The Flop, The River

These terms refer to different stages in which the cards are dealt in Texas Hold'em Poker.

Pre-Flop: This is the very first round of a Texas Hold'em game. The dealer gives each player two cards, these are called pocket cards. Only the player can see these cards.

Flop: This is the second round of Texas Hold'em poker game, and is when the first three communal cards are placed face-up on the table. These communal cards can then be used by all the players in order to create the best five card hands.

Turn: The third round of a Texas Hold'em game is referred to as the Turn. It's this round in which a fourth communal card is placed face up on the table. This card can also be used to help the player create the best five card hand.

River: This is the last round of a Texas Hold'em game. A fifth communal card is placed face up on the poker table in this round. This card is the players' last opportunity in the game to create the best five card hand that they can.

Texas Hold'em Terminology - What is a 'Blind'?

Before 'the flop' (explained more in post 'what is 'the flop'') the two people sitting on the left of the dealer need to pay a forced bet. The first person on the left of the dealer is called the 'Small Blind' or 'Little Blind' and the person on the Small Blind's left is called the 'Big Blind'. The blind amount is always predetermined, however the Big Blind is always double that of the Small Blind' eg. if the Small Blind bets £1 then the Big Blind bets £2.

Some people play by the rule that blind's amounts are doubled as more people are knocked out of the game.

Hand Rank - Texas Hold'em Poker

The idea is that your hand (made up of 5 cards) beats your opponent's hand.

The hands rank:

1. Royal Flush: All the cards are the same suit and they form a run from Ace (High) to 10.

i.e. Ace, King, Queen, Jack, ten.
It doesn't matter what suit they are as long as all the cards are the same.

2. Straight Flush: All the cards are the same suit and they form a run.

e.g. two, three, four, five , six
It doesn't matter what suit they are as long as all the cards are the same.

3. Four-of-a-Kind: Four cards of the same rank

e.g. ten of spades, ten of diamonds, ten of hearts, ten of clubs.

4. Full House: Three-of-a-Kind plus a Pair

e.g. Ace of spades, ace of hearts, ace of clubs, two of hearts, two of clubs.

5. Flush: Five cards of the same suit.

e.g. Two, Four, Six, Nine, Ace of hearts
It doesn't matter what the rank of the card as long as they are the same suit.

6. Straight (run): Five sequential cards but in different suits. An ace can be high or low.

e.g. Ace of clubs, two of spades, three of hearts, four of hearts, five of diamonds (ace low)

or

e.g. Ace of diamonds, king of clubs, queen of diamonds, jack of spades, ten of hearts (ace high)

7. Three-of-a-Kind: Three cards of the same rank.

e.g. Four of spades, four of diamonds, four of clubs


8. Two Pair: Two cards of the same rank with two cards of the same rank.

e.g. Six of hearts, six of diamonds, three of spades, three of diamonds


9. One Pair: Two cards of the same rank

e.g. Jack of spades, jack of diamonds

10. High Card: When you don't have any of the above then your hand is measured on its highest card.

e.g. If you hold - King, jack, seven, two, four - your highest card is a king.

Play Texas Hold'em Poker

How did it all start?

I went on holiday with some friends and on a wet day my husband and I were taught to play. It was really quite confusing at first and it sounded like our friends were making up the Texas Hold'em rules as they went along! I had never heard such terminology as 'The Flop', 'Big Blind', 'Little Blind' and 'The River'. I had a rough idea what the possible hands were but certainly not the order.

Now I am not really a gambler and I don't recommend any one gambles just on the basis to make some quick money. I was just fascinated by the strategies in Texas Hold'em Poker.

I have played at on-line casinos (such as www.betfair.com) but only on the poker fun tables as it is a good place to learn and have fun without losing your hard earned cash. For the first few times I logged on I would just watch 'the action' without playing. The more that I watched the easier it became to understand the players and a bit about their own strategy.

I might be very sad but I still get a buzz out of winning a hand even though I have only won the fun money!

In this blog I will write about the stuff that I have read and the stuff the I have learnt about Texas Hold'em poker. Now I am still a beginner and still learning each time I play, I just thought that some of this might help if you want to have a go yourselves.