Texas Hold'em
Play poker against other players (Texas Hold'em) or against the dealer (Ultimate Texas Hold'em) - buy-ins, turns and payouts.
There are two Hold'em games:
- Texas Hold'em - real poker against other players. The house only takes a small rake.
- Ultimate Texas Hold'em - played against the dealer, with fixed payouts.
In both you make your best 5-card hand from your 2 cards plus the 5 cards in the middle.
| Hand (best first) | Example |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | A-K-Q-J-10, same suit |
| Straight flush | 5-6-7-8-9, same suit |
| Four of a kind | Four Queens |
| Full house | Three 7s + two 2s |
| Flush | Five hearts |
| Straight | 4-5-6-7-8 |
| Three of a kind | Three Jacks |
| Two pair | Two 9s + two 4s |
| One pair | Two Aces |
| High card | Nothing matching |
Before you begin
Casino Chips from the chip cashier - see Casino.
- Texas Hold'em: enough chips to buy in with at least 20 big blinds, and at least one other player at the table.
Texas Hold'em: buying in
- Walk to a Texas Hold'em table and press E.
- The buy-in window shows the blinds and a slider from 20 big blinds up to the table maximum.
- Pick an amount and press Sit down. Those chips become your stack.
- "Waiting for players" shows until someone else sits down.
Texas Hold'em: playing a hand
- A hand starts by itself after a few seconds. The dealer button moves round, two players post the blinds and everyone gets 2 cards.
- On your turn you get the buttons:
- Check / Call - stay in without raising.
- Raise - use the slider or type a number, then Raise to.
- Fold - give up the hand.
- All-in - bet your whole stack.
- The flop (3 cards), turn (1) and river (1) come out, with a betting round after each.
- At the showdown the hands turn face up and "<name> wins X with <hand>" shows.
If a short stack goes all-in, they can only win the main pot. Extra betting between bigger stacks goes into a side pot only they can win.
Between hands you can Top up your stack (up to the max buy-in). Leave folds your current hand; your remaining stack always goes back to your pockets.
Ultimate Texas Hold'em
- Sit at the table. Put chips on Ante (the Blind copies it) and optionally Trips. Press Place bet, then Deal now.
- You and the dealer get 2 cards. 5 cards lie face down in the middle.
- Before the flop: Bet 4x or Bet 3x your Ante, or Check.
- After the flop: Bet 2x or Check.
- After the turn and river: Bet 1x or Fold.
- Once you bet, the board runs out to the showdown. The dealer needs at least a pair to qualify.
A strong start like any pair or an Ace is a good time for Bet 4x - that's where the big wins come from.
Costs & rewards
Texas Hold'em: the house keeps a 5% rake from the pot, but only when the flop was dealt, and only up to a cap. No flop, no rake.
Ultimate Texas Hold'em:
| Bet | How it pays |
|---|---|
| Play | 1:1 if you beat the dealer |
| Ante | 1:1 if you beat the dealer; returned if the dealer doesn't qualify |
| Blind | Pays extra only when you win with a straight or better; other wins return it |
| Trips | Pays on three of a kind or better, win or lose against the dealer |
| Your hand | Blind pays | Trips pays |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 500:1 | 50:1 |
| Straight flush | 50:1 | 40:1 |
| Four of a kind | 10:1 | 30:1 |
| Full house | 3:1 | 8:1 |
| Flush | 3:2 | 7:1 |
| Straight | 1:1 | 4:1 |
| Three of a kind | - | 3:1 |
Common problems
- Stuck on "Waiting for players" - Texas Hold'em needs at least two players. Bring a friend.
- You were auto-folded - don't act for about 25 seconds and you check, or fold if there is a bet.
- Can't buy in - you need at least 20 big blinds in chips.
- Leaving cost you the pot - leaving mid-hand folds. Wait for the hand to end first.
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