Texas Hold’em is probably the most popular poker game today. It is played with a standard 52 card deck and typically 9 or 10 players online. Each player receives two face down cards, and five cards are dealt face up on the table. All players play their best five cards using any combination of their own two and the five common cards. The best five-card hand among those vying for the pot wins.

The dealer in Texas Hold’em is always changing. The dealer position is indicated on the screen by a small disk containing the letter D (the button). The button moves clockwise around the table by one seat every hand, and dictates which players are required make opening bets (blinds). In a home poker game, this would be the player who is responsible for dealing the cards. Being in the dealer position is an advantage because the dealer is the last to act.

Each hand begins with two opening bets called blinds that must be paid before cards are dealt. The player to the left of the button is responsible for the small blind, which is usually half the size of the minimum bet for the game. The player to his immediate left is asked to pay the big blind which is equal to the minimum bet for the game. In a 10/20 limit game, for example, the small blind would be 5 and the big blind 10. In practice the movement of the button and the blinds is considerably more complex. As players leave the table and new players sit down, the game must ensure that nobody misses the big blind, and that players are given the choice to refuse to pay a blind, in which case they will lose their seat and the player to their left will be asked to pay the blind. 

If the player in the big blind leaves there may be no small blind on the next hand. The button will move to the seat that was the previous small blind. When a game goes from more than two handed into heads up play, the movement of the small blind and button may be altered.

If a player misses paying either the small blind or the big blind while in 'Sit Out' mode, the player will be treated as though they are sitting down for the first time when they return.  The player will be required to post the big blind before they can resume play, or they can wait until the big blind position returns to their seat. If the player missed playing a small blind this amount will be added to the big blind amount that they must pay.  The made-up small blind will not be counted as an active bet, but will be automatically added to the value of the main pot at the end of the first betting round.

When you sit down at a table, you must wait for the big blind to reach your seat. You may have to wait several hands if there are several players at your table. If you do not want to wait, you can post an extra big blind and get dealt in immediately. This option is not available if you sit down between the button and the regular big blind position, otherwise one of the other players would be forced to pay a blind more than once in a row. Thus, if you sit between the button and the big blind position, you must wait for the dealer button to pass your seat before you will be given the option of posting the extra big blind.

Once the blinds are paid, two cards (hole cards) are dealt to each player. You can see your own hole cards but not those of the other players. The player to the left of the big blind position is the first to act. Since opening bets (blinds) were already posted, players will not have a check option in this round. A player must either call (add enough chips to the pot to match the highest contribution by any other player), raise (increase the amount of chips that other players must match to stay in the pot), or fold (discard their hand and lose any chips already wagered). Betting continues until all players remaining in the hand (those who have not folded or gone all-in) have contributed an equal amount of chips to the pot. The betting round will also end if all players have checked. After the first round of betting is complete, the chips in front of each players are raked into a main center pot and three community cards are dealt face up at the center of the table (the flop). Players must now determine whether their 5 card hand (the flop combined with their own secret hole cards) has a reasonable chance of beating those held by other players. Generally, if the flop doesn’t improve your hand, you should fold. Unlike the first betting round, there are no mandatory blinds to start the betting in later betting rounds, so players will also have an option to check (stay in the hand without betting), until somebody places an opening bet. Once a player bets, all players will be given the opportunity to call it, raise it, or fold their hand. When the second betting round is over, the fourth community card (the turn) is dealt. This is followed by another round of betting. The final card (the river) is then dealt, followed by a final round of betting.

When all betting rounds are over, the game compares the hands of the remaining active players (those who have not folded or gone all-in). The game combines your two hole cards with the five shared community cards to create the best hand possible. One, both, or none of the hole cards may be used. The holder of the winning hand is awarded the pot. If two or more players have the same hand (such as when each player’s best hand uses all 5 community cards), the pot is shared. If only one player remains, he or she automatically wins the pot and the winning hand is not shown. Cards in the showdown are displayed beginning with the player who most recently bet or raised. Moving clockwise around the table, each remaining players cards are shown in turn if they have a hand of equal or greater value. If the player has an inferior hand, their cards will not be shown if they selected the muck lost option at the bottom left corner of their game screen. Although players often do not show their hands, you are entitled to see any cards that made it to the showdown by viewing the game transcripts. Click on the ‘menu’ link at the bottom left of your screen, then the ‘History’ button to choose from a list of all hands that have taken place since you entered the game room.

When a player runs out of chips and puts the last of his money in the pot, he is considered all-in. The all-in player is ineligible to win money in excess of what they have contributed towards the pot. Thus, at the end of the betting round one or more side pots would be created. The software keeps track of all of these side pots and which players are eligible to win them.

If a table is designated a fixed limit table, all bets and raises are set at a fixed amount. For example, in a 10-20 game the first two betting rounds limit the bets and raises to 10 in the first two betting rounds, and 20 in the final two betting rounds.

If a table is designated a spread limit table, a player may choose the amount of the bet or raise between a minimum and maximum range. Raises must always be equal to or higher than the previous bet, however.

If a table is designated a pot limit table, a player may bet or raise up to the amount of the pot. As the pot grows in size, the maximum bet and raise increases as well. In all but fixed limit games, the software automatically tracks the allowable bets and raises for you. A slider is provided to adjust your bet, but you can also type a value into the little box above the slider bar.

Players in a no limit game can bet or raise all of their chips at any time.

Single table tournament tables start when a minimum number of players have joined. Once the tournament starts, nobody can sit at or leave the table until the last player has been eliminated. If you are disconnected due to a poor internet connection, you will be able to re-join the tournament in progress. Typically the last three finishers at a tournament table share a percentage of the tournament pot. 3rd place finishes typically win 20%, 2nd place finishers 30%, and the last remaining players in 1st place wins 50%. Once the tournament ends and the winners are paid, all seats are emptied and the registration process begins again. Tournament seats are filled in order, starting at the first chair at the top right of the screen. When the tournament starts, each player is dealt a single card. The player with the highest face value becomes the starting dealer. If two players have the same card (ie, Jacks), the priority of card suits is clubs, diamonds, hearts, then spades. This process is called highcarding for the dealer button.