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Texas holdem is probably the most popular form of poker in the world. Chances are if you’ve seen poker on the television, or at one of the large poker tournaments it would have been texas holdem they were playing.

Its a 7 card game, but with 5 of the cards being “community” i.e. shared cards, which are revealed in 3 stages – the flop, the turn and the river. Its simple, fast paced and great fun, and is probably the most accessible for the uninitiated.

Here then are the basics to get you started.

Each player will act as a dealer, which is indicated by a button which rotates through the players on the table. Each player is dealt 2 cards.

The player next to the dealer then has to post a “small blind” which is a forced bet, the next player likewise has to post a “big blind”. Thereafter the betting starts, based upon the first 2 cards that each player has recieved.

The flop comes next. This means the dealer deals 3 community cards face up. Then the turn (the 4th card) followed by the river (5th card).

After each series there is a betting round (if necessary) and if 2 or more player are still in the hand, and all bets are matched you then move to the “showdown” where all the cards are displayed and the winning hand (according to universal hand rankings) takes the pot!

Capische?!

If that is all a little bewildering then the best way to learn is to start playing, but here’s our top tip – always start on the “fun” money tables, otherwise your schooling could be a little expensive in poker chips!