Tweet

No Limit Texas Holdem For Beginners

If you have never played no limit Texas Hold’em poker before, the thought of it can be a bit intimidating. Perhaps you have seen commercials or poker on television and have witnessed players shove huge piles of chips into the middle of the table while uttering those famous words, "I’m all in."

In reality though, no limit Hold’em is not an overly complicated game to learn. In fact, with some knowledge of poker, the game can be picked up very quickly. Mastering it, however, can take a long time. The great thing about playing poker online is that one can play many, many hands in a short period of time. First we need to learn the rules though.

What Hand Beats What In No Limit Texas Hold em

Let’s start off with the very basics - what hand beats what in no limit Texas Hold’em:

High card - This is when you have no pair, no straight, and no flush. The highest card wins. If both players have the same high card, it goes to the next highest, and so on. Ex. AJT87

One Pair - Any two of the same cards along with three other non-matching cards. Ex. QQT65

Two Pair - Two sets of matching cards and one other card. Ex. 9977J

Three of a Kind - This is also called a set or trips. Ex. 888KJ

Straight - Any 5 cards in order, not all of the same suite. Ex. 9TJQK

Flush - Any 5 cards of the same suite, not in order. Ex. AK952 of clubs.

Full House - Three of a Kind plus another pair. Ex. JJJTT

Four of a Kind - Four matching cards along with one other card. Ex. KKKK9

Straight Flush - Five cards in order of the same suit. Ex. 45678 of hearts.

Royal Straight Flush - The best possible hand, Straight Flush to the Ace. Ex. TJQKA of spades.

Now that we know what beats what, we can start play. Each no limit Hold’em game starts with two blind bets - the small blind and the big blind. The small blind is the player to the immediate left of the dealer and the big blind is the player to his left. The dealer is marked by a “button”, which is why this position is often simply called being on the button.

No Limit Texas Holdem Rules

Generally, no limit Hold’em games are characterized by their blinds. For instance, a $1/$2 no limit game has a small blind of $1 and big blind of $2. In a casino a $1/$2 game will typically be the lowest limit offered. However, online you can play as low as $.01/$.02, which makes online poker such a great way to learn the game. Games online also offer other benefits and promotions, such as online rakeback. These promotions are great for padding your bankroll a little and helping keep losses down while learning the game.

Once the blinds are out, two cards are dealt face down to each player, starting with the small blind and moving around the table. Then the betting starts with the person after the big blind being first to act. This position is called Under the Gun. The option is to call the big blind bet, raise to at least double the big blind, or fold. The action moves around the table ending with the big blind during the first round of betting.

If the betting is re-opened on any round, then the action goes until it reaches the player just before whoever re-opened the betting. To re-open the betting means for instance if the Under the Gun player calls and the next player raises, then the action would go all the way around the table and back to the Under the Gun player.

Once the action is completed on the first round of betting, called pre-flop, the flop is then dealt. This is one burn card face down and three cards face up. These are community cards that everyone can use to make the best possible 5 card hand. The action on the flop starts with the player in the small blind, or the next player with cards. He must either check (pass) or make a bet at least as big as the big blind. The button is last to act, which is a distinct advantage in no limit Hold’em. The same rules apply if the betting is re-opened.

After the flop betting is finished, the turn card is dealt and another round of betting ensues. The same rules apply as on the flop and again, you are making the best 5 card hand, even though there are now 6 cards. Finally, the river card is dealt and the last and final round of betting takes place. Once all the betting is complete it is time to showdown the cards, usually going in the same order as the betting. Once a player shows a winning hand, other players who have yet to show can muck their cards, which means to basically fold your cards face down without showing down. The winner is then awarded the pot.

It may seem like a lot of information and a lot of action, but it goes surprisingly quick and it is actually rare that you get the dramatic all-in that gets so much air time on television. Just start small, play tight but aggressive and use solid poker bankroll management and before you know it, you’ll be the one intimidating other players with your big stack.