It seems like ancient history now, but there was a time when poker players weren’t playing No-Limit Texas Hold’em. Fixed-Limit Hold’em was the game of choice at the turn of the millennium; before that, it was lowball and stud games, and before that, 5-Card Draw was the universal way to play. But all of that changed with the internet, and the gigantic poker boom of the early Aughts. Now, if you want to learn how to win at online poker, you’d better learn how to play Texas Hold’em.
You’ve come to the right place. We’ll show you what Texas Hold’em poker is all about, including the rules of the game, the basic strategies to consider, and how to get started playing at Bovada Poker. In just a few short minutes, you’ll be ready to take your first steps on the road to poker glory right here at Bovada.
Texas Hold’em Limits
Let’s start with the 2 different type limits you will find at Bovada Poker.
Fixed Limit: Bet and raise amounts for each round are preset.
No Limit: The minimum bet is the big bet and there’s no max bet.
Look for the FL (Fixed Limit) or NL (No Limit) alongside games posted in our Lobby to determine that stake’s limit type.
Pre-Flop
The button is a graphic symbol that identifies who the dealer is. It moves clockwise after each hand to the next active player.
The blinds are mandatory bets posted at the start of each hand, before any cards are dealt, determined by the small and big bets for that game. Any player that wants to stay in the hand must call the big blind.
The player to the left of the dealer is the first player to get cards, the first to act and the one that posts the small blind. The big blind is posted by the second player, to the left of the small blind.
Example: $10/$20 No Limit Hold’em poker game
Small blind: $10. Big blind: $20.
Any player has the option of sitting out and waiting for the big blind to reach them. If a player sits out and misses posting the big blind, they’ll have to post a big blind to get back in. This stops players from leaving the table before having to post the blinds.
Post-Flop
The dealer then turns over 3 community cards, called the flop. The player to the left of the dealer begins the betting. The action goes around the table as players choose to check, call, raise or fold, returning to the players who posted the blinds.
Then the fourth community card dealt is called fourth street or the turn, which starts another round of betting. In Fixed Limit games the bet increases to the upper stake. Betting continues until all bets are called.
The river is the final community card dealt face up, and begins the last round of betting. The bet amount for Fixed Limit games is the big stake.
Showdown
The showdown happens when all bets have been called. The last player to bet or raise shows their hand first. The best 5-card hand takes the pot.
If all players checked through and nobody bet on the river, the player to the left of the dealer show first with action continuing clockwise, unless a hand is weaker than the winning hand shown. In this case, you can show, or fold without showing, called a muck. If you make a bet and all the other players fold, you ‘buy the pot’ and have the option to show or muck your cards. That’s where the bluffing comes in.