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Texas Holdem Official Rules

7/17/2022

  1. Texas Holdem Poker Game Rules
  2. Official Texas Holdem Rules

The rank of each card used in Texas Hold’em when forming a fivecard high poker hand-, in order of highest to lowest rank, shall be: ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2. All suits shall be considered equal in rank. The ace would be considered low any time the ace begins a straight or a straight flush. TDA Poker Rules - Poker Tournament Directors Association The Poker TDA is a voluntary trade association of the poker tournament industry. The Association is dedicated to adopting a uniform set of poker tournament rules worldwide.

  • Whenever possible, all rules are the same as those that apply to live games.
  • Initial seating is determined by random draw or assignment. (For a one-table satellite event, cards to determine seating may be left faceup so the earlier entrants can pick their seat, since the button is assigned randomly.)
  • A change of seat is not allowed after play starts, except as assigned by the director.
  • The appropriate starting amount of chips will be placed on the table for each paid entrant at the beginning of the event, whether the person is present or not. Absent players will be dealt in, and all chips necessary for antes and blinds will be put into the pot.
  • If a paid entrant is absent at the start of an event, at some point an effort will be made to locate and contact the player. If the player requests the chips be left in place until arrival, the request will be honored. If the player is unable to be contacted, the chips may be removed from play at the discretion of the director anytime after a new betting level has begun or a half-hour has elapsed, whichever occurs first.
  • A starting stack of chips can be placed in a seat to accommodate late entrants (so all antes and blinds have been appropriately paid). An unsold seat will have such a stack removed at a time left to the discretion of the director.
  • Limits and blinds are raised at regularly scheduled intervals.
  • If there is a signal designating the end of a betting level, the new limits apply on the next deal. (A deal begins with the first riffle of the shuffle.)
  • The lowest denomination of chip in play is removed from the table when it is no longer needed in the blind or ante structure. All lower-denomination chips that are of sufficient quantity for a new chip will be changed up directly. The method for removal of odd chips is to deal one card to a player for each odd chip possessed. Cards are dealt clockwise starting with the No. 1 seat, with each player receiving all cards before any cards are dealt to the next player. The player with the highest card by suit gets enough odd chips to exchange for one new chip, the second-highest card gets to exchange for the next chip, and so forth, until all the lower-denomination chips are exchanged. If an odd number of lower-denomination chips are left after this process, the player with the highest card remaining receives a new chip if he has half or more of the quantity of lower-denomination chips needed, otherwise nothing.
  • An absent player is always dealt a hand, and is put up for blinds, antes, and the forced bet if low.
  • A player must be present at the table to stop the action by calling 'time.'
  • A player must be at his seat when the first card is dealt on the initial deal or he will have a dead hand. “At your seat” means within reach of your chair. This rule is not intended to condone players being out of their seats while involved in a hand.
  • As players are eliminated, tables are broken in a pre-set order, with players from the broken tables assigned to empty seats at other tables.
  • The number of players at each table is kept reasonably balanced by the transfer of a player as needed. With more than six tables, table size is kept within two players. With six tables or fewer, table size is kept within one player.
  • In all events, there is a redraw for seating when the field is reduced to three tables, two tables, and one table. (Redrawing at three tables is not mandatory in small tournaments with only four or five starting tables.)
  • A player who declares all in and loses the pot, then discovers that one or more chips were hidden, is not entitled to benefit from this. That player is eliminated from the tournament if the opponent had sufficient chips to cover the hidden ones (A rebuy is permitted if allowable by the rules of that event). If another deal has not yet started, the director may rule the chips belong to the opponent who won that pot, if that obviously would have happened with the chips out in plain view. If the next deal has started, the discovered chips are removed from the tournament.
  • If a player lacks sufficient chips for a blind or a forced bet, the player is entitled to get action on whatever amount of money remains. A player who posts a short blind and wins does not need to make up the blind.
  • All players must leave their seats immediately after being eliminated from an event.
  • Showing cards from a live hand during the action injures the rights of other players still competing in an event, who wish to see contestants eliminated. A player may not show any cards during a deal (unless the event has only two remaining players). If a player deliberately shows a card, that hand may be ruled dead and the player penalized.
  • Inappropriate behavior like throwing cards that go off the table may be punished with a penalty such as being dealt out for a length of time. A severe infraction such as abusive or disruptive behavior may be punished by eviction from the tournament.
  • The deck is not changed on request. Decks change when the dealers change, unless there is a damaged card.
  • In all tournament games using a dealer button, the starting position of the button is determined by dealing for the high card.
  • The dealer button remains in position until the appropriate blinds are taken. Players must post all blinds every round. Because of this, the button may stay in front of the same player for two consecutive hands.
  • New players are dealt in immediately unless they sit down in the small blind or button position. In these two cases, they must wait until the button passes.
  • In heads-up play with two blinds, the small blind is on the button.
  • At stud, if a downcard on the initial hand is dealt face up, a misdeal is called.
  • If a player announces the intent to rebuy before cards are dealt, that player is playing behind and is obligated to make the rebuy.
  • All hands are turned face up whenever a player is all in and betting action is complete.
  • If two (or more) players go broke during the same hand, the player starting the hand with the larger amount of money finishes in the higher tournament place for point and cash awards.
  • Management is not required to rule on any private deals, side bets, or redistribution of the prize pool among finalists.
  • Private agreements by remaining players in an event regarding distribution of the prize pool are not condoned. (However, if such an agreement is made, the director has the option of ensuring that it is carried out by paying those amounts.) Any private agreement that excludes one or more active competitors is improper by definition.
  • A tournament event is expected to be played until completion. A private agreement that removes all prize money from being at stake in the competition is unethical.
  • Management retains the right to cancel any event, or alter it in a manner fair to the players.
The rules above are from 'Robert Rules of Poker' which is authored by Robert Ciaffone, better known in the poker world as Bob Ciaffone, a leading authority on cardroom rules.

Texas Holdem Poker Game Rules

Rules

Texas Hold’em is the world’s most popular form of poker, thanks in large part to the World Series of Poker and other televised poker tournaments that have brought the game to the masses. Texas Hold’em is both easy to play, making it ideal for those just learning about poker, and filled with incredible depth and strategy, making it a game that challenges even professional players. If you need a refresher on the Texas Hold’em Rules, this article should help you get started in this great poker game.

Official Texas Holdem Rules

Official

Texas Hold’em Basic Poker Rules

Texas Hold’em is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The object of the game is to make the best possible five-card poker hand using any combination of the two card’s in a player’s hand (known as the “hole cards”) and the five community cards that the dealer places in the middle of the table, which can be used by all players. The standard hand rankings are used, as follows (from best to worst):

  • Straight Flush: Any five cards of the same suit and consecutive rank; the best of these hands, AKQJT of a single suit, is known as a Royal Flush. For these and regular straights, aces may be played as high or low cards.
  • Four of a Kind: Any four cards of the same rank.
  • Full House: Any three cards from a single rank combined with a pair from a different rank (i.e., TTT55).
  • Flush: Any five cards of the same suit.
  • Straight: Any five cards of consecutive ranks (i.e., 34567).
  • Three of a Kind: Any three cards of the same rank.
  • Two Pair: Any two pairs of cards from the same ranks (ie, 5599A).
  • One Pair: Any two cards of the same rank.
  • High Card: Hands that do not fit any of the above categories are ranked based on the highest card in their hand (aces are high), then by the second highest card, and so on.
Texas Holdem Official Rules

Let’s look at these poker hand rankings again visually.

Typically, a game of Texas Hold’em will be played with anywhere from two to ten players at a table. Games with more players are possible, since each player only needs two cards for themselves, but games with more than 11 players at a single table are rare.

Games of Texas Hold’em may be played with many different betting structures. Common ones include Limit Hold’em, where the amount a player may bet is set by the rules of the game, and No Limit Hold’em, where players are free to bet as much of the money they have at the table as they wish at any time. Other structures include Pot Limit Hold’em and Spread Limit Hold’em.

Texas Hold’em Rules: Flow of a Hand

At the beginning of the first hand of play, one player will be assigned the dealer button (in home games, this player will also traditionally act as the dealer for that hand). The player immediately to the left of the button must post the small blind, while the player two seats to the left of the button must post the big blind. The size of these blinds is typically determined by the rules of the game. If any ante is required – common in a tournament situation – players should also contribute it at this point.

Once all blinds have been posted and antes have been paid, the dealer will deal two cards to each player. Each player may examine their own cards. The play begins with the player to the left of the big blind. That player may choose to fold, in which case they forfeit their cards and are done with play for that hand. The player may also choose to call the bet, placing an amount of money into the pot equal to the size of the big blind. Finally, the player can also choose to raise, increasing the size of the bet required for other players to stay in the hand.

Moving around the table clockwise, each player may then choose to take any of those options: folding, calling the current bet, or raising the bet. A round of betting ends when all players but one have folded (in which case the one remaining player wins the pot), or when all remaining players have called the current bet. On the first round of betting, if no players raise, the big blind will also have the option to check, essentially passing his turn; this is because the big blind has already placed the current bet amount into the pot, but hasn’t yet had a chance to act.

Assuming there are two or more players remaining in the hand after the first round of betting, the dealer will then deal out three community cards in the middle of the table. These cards are known as the flop. Play now begins, starting with the first player to the left of the dealer button (if every player is still in the hand, this will be the small blind). Players have the same options as before; in addition, if no bet has yet been made in the betting round, players have the option to check. A round of betting can also end if all players check and no bets are made, along with the other ways discussed above.

If two or more players remain in the hand after the second round of betting, the dealer will place a fourth community card – known as the turn – on the table. Once again, a round of betting ensues, using the same rules outlined above. Finally, if two or more players are still around after the third round of betting, the dealer will place the final community card – the river – on the table. One last round of betting will commence.

After this final round of betting, all remaining players must reveal their hands. The player with the best hand according to the hand rankings above will win the pot. If two or more players share the exact same hand, the pot is split evenly between them. After each hand, the button moves one seat to the left, as do the responsibilities of posting the small and big blinds.