Limit Texas Hold ‘em Guide

• 1. The player to the left of the dealer posts the small blind.
• 2. The player to his or her left posts the big blind.
• 3. The dealer deals two cards face down to each player around the table.
• 4. The player to the left of the big blind begins the round by folding, calling or raising.
• 5. Play continues around the poker table until all players match the current bet or fold.
• 6. A maximum of three raises on any betting round is allowed in this game.

The Flop:

• 1. The dealer deals three cards to the middle of the table, face up. These are known as community cards and can be used by all the players to make their hands.
• 2. The first player to the left of the dealer still remaining in the game starts the round by checking or betting.
• 3. In the flop round, bets are of the lower betting limit (or the big blind).
• 4. Play continues in a clockwise position until players have either matched the required bet, or folded their cards.

The Turn and River:

• 1. The dealer deals a fourth community cards to the middle of the poker table, face up.
• 2. Another round of betting begins.
• 3. All bets are now doubled, as the higher betting limit comes into play.
• 4. The river round begins, with a fifth and final community card being dealt by the dealer.
• 5. The river round is identical to the turn round, with one main exception: If there are only two players left in the game, there is no limit to the number of raises allowed.

The Showdown

• 1. When all bets are matched, the game moves on to the showdown stage.
• 2. Players left in the game are required to turn their cards over.
• 3. Hands are made up using any two dealt cards, combined with any five community cards to make the best possible standard poker hand.
• 4. The best hand at this stage grabs the pot.
• 5. If there are two or more players with the best hand of the same value, the pot is split evenly amongst them.

Tips and Strategy

• 1. Don’t assume that you can simply sit and call down the hands whenever you have pot odds, without worrying about your opponents.
• 2. Intermediate players are notorious for playing without discipline or with a lack of applied aggression – be aware of this phenomenon.
• 3. Stick to a tight and aggressive game play, especially in strong games.
• 4. Try to play correctly until the turn card, to avoid making too many difficult decisions.

Conclusion

This game is by far the most popular at online and offline poker rooms, and is particularly enjoyable (and rewarding!) if players learn the basic strategy and apply it to their game.