Poker Launch

The descriptions below assume that you are familiar with the general game play of poker, and with poker hands. They also make no assumptions about what betting structure is used. In casino play, it is common to use a fixed limit and two blinds, one for half of the first-round betting limit and one for a full bet. (This double-blind structure is relatively recent; until 20 or 30 years ago, a single-blind structure was most common.) The limit for the third and fourth betting rounds is generally double that of the first two rounds. Occasionally, the fourth bet is larger still (a big river bet), and the big blind is sometimes less than the normal first-round bet, in which case it is treated the same way a sub-minimum bring-in is treated in stud poker. Antes may be used instead of or in addition to blinds; this is especially true in tournament play. The game also plays very well at the no-limit level, and many tournaments (including the above mentioned World Series championship event) are played that way.

Play begins with each player being dealt two cards face down. These are the only cards each player will receive individually, and they will only (possibly) be revealed at the showdown, making Texas holdem a closed poker game. The hand begins with a "pre-flop" betting round, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind (or the player to the left of dealer, if no blinds are used). After the pre-flop betting round, the dealer deals a burn card, followed by three face-up community cards called the flop. The flop is followed by a second betting round. This and all subsequent betting rounds begin with the player to the dealer's left. After the flop betting round, another card is burned, and a single community card called the turn (or fourth street) is dealt, followed by a third betting round. A final burn card is folowed by a single community card called the river (or fifth street), followed by a fourth betting round and the showdown, if necessary.

On the showdown, each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the seven cards comprising his two and the board (the five community cards). A player may use both of his own two downcards, only one, or none at all, to form his final five-card hand. If the five community cards form the player's best hand, then the player is said to be playing the board.

If the best hand is shared by more than one player (e.g. if no player is able to beat the board), then the pot is split equally amongst all remaining players. However, it is common for players to have closely-valued, but not identically ranked hands. In particular, kickers are often needed to break ties. Nevertheless, one must be careful in determining the best hand, because often the board nullifies kickers. (See the second example below.) Straights often split the pot, and multiple flushes may occur. In the case of flushes, the flush is awarded to the player with the highest flush card which completes a flush and beats the board's flush cards. If there is a flush on board, (i.e. if all the board cards are the same suit), then undercards in that suit do not play, and if no one has a card in the flush suit beating the board, then the pot is split. The sole exception to this rule is the case of a possible straight-flush.