Texas Hold’em Poker

Texas Hold’em combinations are as follows, in decreasing order of value:

• Royal flush
• Straight flush
• Four of a kind
• Full house
• Flush
• Straight
• Three of a kind
• Two pairs
• Pair
• High card

Click here to learn how to use the various combinations to make a poker hand.

A marker called the puck is moved clockwise around the table one player position at a time as the game progresses, to determine the order of distribution of cards and the order during the betting rounds. When play begins, the puck is placed in front of the first active player next to the dealer, who is the equivalent of the traditional casino dealer.

Starting with the first active player next to the puck, the dealer deals two face down cards one at a time to each player (the “pocket” cards). Once all players have received their two cards, the first betting round starts with the first player following the player who placed the big blind bet. In each betting round, as the situation permits, players have the following options:

Check: If no player has placed a bet, you can check, i.e. not bet but remain in the game.

Bet: Add a bet to the pot.

Call: Put the same bet into the pot as the previous player.

Raise: Place a higher bet than the previous player.

Fold: Not bet and lose the right of winning the pot (forfeit the game).

If no player has raised the big blind, the player who placed the big blind has the option of checking or raising.

The next betting round starts once all players that remain in the game have checked (whenever this choice is available) or have placed bets for the same amount.

Before any cards are dealt, the first player next to the puck in clockwise order places the small blind bet. The next player in clockwise order then places the big blind bet. The actual amounts of the blind bets will vary in accordance with the type of limits of the table.

The dealer burns the top card of the deck (which means it is dealt to the side and not used in play) then deals three community cards face up, called the Flop. The second betting round then begins with the first active player following the puck, with the same options as the first.

The dealer burns the top card of the deck then deals a fourth community card face up, called the Turn. A third betting round begins with the first active player following the puck, with the same options as before.

The dealer burns the top card of the deck and deals a fifth community card face up, called the River. A fourth and final betting round then begins with the first active player following the puck, with the same options as before.

After the fourth betting round, all the players who still have their two pocket cards form the highest possible five-card poker hand in order to win the pot. They can use their two pocket cards and three of the five community cards, one of their two cards and four community cards, or all five community cards. The first player to show his cards is the player who bet or raised last. If no one bet in the previous round, the first active player next to the puck (in clockwise order) shows his hand first.

The player with the highest ranked hand in the showdown or when all the other players have folded, wins and takes the pot. The pot is shared equally among players having identical winning hands. Wins from the pot are added to the winning player’s total stakes on the table. If the player is sitting at a cash game table, total stakes will automatically be paid into his or her Espacejeux account upon leaving the table.

Loto-Québec’s online gaming website offers you Texas Hold’em Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit.