Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is the most popular version of Poker in the United States. Hold'em is known by most because of the recently popular World Series of Poker, broadcast on ESPN, as well as the numerous gambling websites. Online poker sites in 2005 reported revenues of $200 million a month.

Below are the basic rules of Hold’em:

The Shuffle, The Deal and The Blinds

The dealer shuffles a standard 52-card deck.

Because in casinos the dealer never plays, a round disc -- known as "The Button" -- moves clockwise from player to player with each hand. The game starts with the two players to the left of the button putting a predetermined amount of money into the pot before any cards are dealt, this money is called "The Blinds" because no cards have been dealt and these bets have been made, this also ensures that there's something to play for on every hand. The "Small Blind" is the player to the left of the dealer and puts up half of the minimum bet, and the "Big Blind" puts up the full minimum bet. At Timmy D’s we start our current tournaments at blinds of $25 and $50

Each player is dealt two cards, face down. These are known as the "hole cards."

Betting Begins

A round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the two blinds. Players can call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.

The Flop

After the first betting round, the dealer discards (“burns”) the top card of the deck. This is done to ensure that no one accidentally saw the top card, and to help prevent cheating. The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the "Flop."

Eventually, a total of five community cards will be placed face up on the table. Players can use any combination of the community cards and their own two hole cards to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.

After the flop, another round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the the button. During this and all future rounds of betting, players can check, call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.

Fourth Street – “The Turn”

The dealer burns another card and plays one more face up onto the table. This is the fourth community card. The player to the left of the the button begins the third round of betting.

Fifth Street – "The River"

The dealer burns another card before placing the final face-up card on the table.

Final Betting and The Winner

Players can now use any combination of seven cards -- the five community cards and the two hole cards known only to them -- to form the best possible five-card Poker hand. The fourth and final round of betting starts with the player to the left of the the button. After the final betting round, all players who remain in the game reveal their hands. The player who made the initial bet or the player who made the last raise shows their hand first.

The player with the best Five Card hand wins.