POKER prima DIVAS

Getting Started in Poker

Card Ranking:

Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
(Ace can be high or low when making a straight)

Card Suits

There are 52 cards in the deck, plus 2 Jokers. You do not play Texas Hold’em with Jokers.

What you need to start playing:

Texas Hold’EM

Introductory Guide

The objective is to use 1 or 2 of your “hole cards” in combination with some of the 5 community cards face-up on the board to make your best 5 card hand. In some instances you may use the 5 community cards on the table and none from your hand to to make the best 5 card hand .

Someone is designated the dealer. They are handed the “button”. That person is the “dealer”
The player two seats to the left of the button is the “big blind”. They have an automatic pre-determined forced bet before the cards are dealt. They must place this bet no matter what cards they have
The player immediately to the left of the button is the small blind. They are forced to put up half the bet of the big blind before the cards are dealt.
Blinds are determined in advance by the casino or your home game director.
The Dealer Button and Blind positions rotate clockwise every hand so everyone has an equal opportunity to play in each position. The dealer deals clockwise.
Everybody is dealt 2 cards face down starting with the small blind. These are called hole cards. Do not let anyone see them. Protect your hand.
Everyone looks at their cards and then the first round of betting occurs with the person to the left of the big blind (This is called being “under the gun”)
To stay in the hand you must “call” or match the big blind or if someone has raised, match their bet or raise it. If you do not wish to call or raise, you fold.
If no one has raised, the Big Blind is the only position that has the option of checking pre-flop. The Small and Big Blinds also have the option of raising.
Once the betting stops the “flop” the first 3 cards are dealt face up. These are community cards and everybody can use them. You do not touch them and put them in your hand. They are there for all .
There is another round of betting that begins with the person who is still in the game to the immediate left of the button .
You may check (pass) if no one bets, initiate a bet, call a bet, raise a bet or fold. You CANNOT check if someone has bet.
The next card (aka 4th street, the TURN) is now dealt face up.
There is another round of betting .
The next card is dealt face-up 5th street (the river).
There is a final round of betting.
The players left in the hand turn-up their card and the best 5 card winning hand wins the pot. You can use 3, 4 or 5 of the community cards in combination with your hand. In case of a tie, the players split the pot.

NOTE- In no-limit games you can bet as many chips as you have in front of you. In a Limit game the betting limits are pre-set with minimum and maximum allowable bets.

When dealing the game a “burn” card should be dealt face down prior to dealing each round of the flop, turn and river. This helps prevent cheating.