The Rules In Texas Hold'em Tournaments

When it comes to Texas Hold'em tournaments, there are many rules that you just have got to know about if you intend taking part. This is a very important part of the game when it is played at the tournament level so read on carefully.

The very first rule you need to keep in mind is to know who the dealer is. If you don't know, here's how to find out. In a tournament, the dealer has to be identified and he has a plastic device called a dealer button. Once you know who the dealer is, the betting starts from the dealer's left in a clockwise direction. In the next round, the person on the dealer's left will become the next dealer.

The next rule is how to make the blinds. The first ones to place their bets are the two who are to the dealer's left. The first one puts in ½ of the minimum bet - this is called a ‘small blind'. The next person makes the ‘big blind' which has to be the entire amount of this minimum bet. If we are looking at the betting as $8/16, the first ‘small blind' will be $4 and the second ‘big blind' will be $8.

Now let's take a look at the third rule which is about the beginning rounds. According to the Texas Hold'em rules, it is obligatory for the dealer to give each player two pocket cards as well as put down five on the center of the table. These are called the community cards. The first round of betting is done by the player next to the one who made the ‘big blind'. The rules of Texas Hold'em state that when these the first three of these five cards get ‘flopped' or revealed is the stage that is named the ‘flop'. Once one round of betting is done, the one who made the big blind can ‘bet' or ‘check' the player before him when he calls. In case a bet has not been made, checking means you can pass.

Then comes the ‘turn' which refers to the fourth card which is face up when it is dealt. This signals the end of the second round of betting and the start of the third. Once the third round is over, the rules of the game state that it is up to the dealer to open the last community card which called the Fifth Street or the river.

Then comes the endgame which is when the last round of bets have been placed and the rules state that every player has to now show his hand. The first player to do so has to be the one on the dealer's left, then it proceeds clockwise from the left. This is when the players have to decide whether they want to show or to fold.