Texas Hold’em can be played with 2 to 10 players. Players draw cards to determine the Dealing Position – the player who draws the largest card will be the first Dealing Position and a marker will be placed in front of them.

The game begins with the two players who are seated to the left of the Dealing Position placing initial bets called the Large and Small Blinds. The player to the left of the Dealing Position places the Small Blind bet, which is equal to ½ of the minimum bet. The player to the left of the Small Blind places the Large Blind bet, which is equal to the full minimum bet.

Two cards are dealt face down to each player. These are called “hole” cards.

Next is a round of betting that starts to the left of the players who placed the Large and Small Blind bets. During this round (called the “pre-flop”) the players must make a bet equal to or greater than the amount of the Large Blind in order to stay in the hand. Much like most games of poker, players can also either check, raise or fold.

In No-Limit Hold’em the number of chips a player has determines the maximum bet they can make. A player can go “all-in” by pushing all of their chips toward the center of the table. At this point, the dealer will count the chips in order to calculate the total of this all-in bet. To call, the other players must match this bet.

In the event a player cannot match the value of another players’ bet, but would still like to call, he can also go all-in and play for a portion of the pot. Should this occur, the dealer will divide the original, larger bet into two stacks: The first stack will match the amount of the chips the all-in bettor has, and the all-in bet is added to this pot. The remaining chips are placed into a side pot – for which the all-in bettor is not eligible. This enables the rest of the players to continue to play – raising and re-raising as they normally would. At the conclusion of the hand, the all-in bettor is eligible to win the original pot, but not the side pot.

After the initial betting round ends, the dealer discards (or “burns”) the top card of the deck. The dealer then flips over the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the “flop”. These are communal cards that all the players can use in combination with their two hole cards to make their best poker hand.

Next is another round of betting. The betting from this point till the end of the game will start with the player to the left of the Dealing Position. After the betting concludes, the dealer burns another card and then flips one more card up on the table. This is called the “turn” card.

Another round of betting begins and players must bet at least twice the amount of the Large Blind during this round and all subsequent rounds until the hand is over.

The dealer then burns one more card and flips one last card up on the table. This card is called the “river”.

There is now one final round of betting. After this round, players who remain will begin to reveal their hands, starting with the player to the left of the last player to call.

The best five card hand wins. If two or more players have the same hand, the next highest card in their hands is used to break the tie. If two players are using 5 cards – including both of their hole cards – and have the exact same hand, the pot is split between them.

The Dealing Position then moves clockwise one player and another round of play begins.