Texas Holdem Poker Rules

In Texas Holdem Poker, players receive two downcards known as hole cards followed by a round of betting. Three cards known as the flop are then turned simultaneously and another round of betting occurs. The next two cards, known as the Turn and River, are then turned one at a time with a round of betting after each card. The cards on the board are community cards and a player can use any five card combination from the board and their hole cards. In some circumstances the board will actually come up with the best hand and the player(s) will actually wind up using these and splitting the pot. A dealer button is used to signify starting position and usually a small and big blind betting system is used, but in tournaments a combination of blinds and antes are often used.

If you are playing in a traditional casino or a home game there are more rules that you should be aware of, but for most of us we are playing online so the computer dealer most likely will not make any mistakes as will you either. Here are some of those rules.

1. If the first holecard dealt is exposed, a misdeal is called and the dealer will reshuffle, recut the cards and start over. If any other holecard is exposed due to dealer error, the deal continues. However, the exposed card may not be kept. After completing the hand, the dealer replaces the card with the top card on the deck, and the exposed card is then used for the burncard. If more than one holecard is exposed, this is a misdeal and there must be a redeal.
2. If the flop contains too many cards, it must be redealt.
3. If the flop needs to be redealt because the cards were prematurely flopped before the betting was complete, or the flop contained too many cards, the boardcards are mixed with the remainder of the deck. The burncard remains on the table. After shuffling, the dealer cuts the deck and deals a new flop without burning a card
4. If the dealer turns the fourth card on the board before the betting round is complete, the card is taken out of play for that round, even if subsequent players elect to fold. The betting is then completed. The dealer burns and turns what would have been the fifth card in the fourth card's place. After this round of betting, the dealer reshuffles the deck, including the card that was taken out of play, but not including the burncards or discards. The dealer then cuts the deck and turns the final card without burning a card. If the fifth card is turned up prematurely, the deck is reshuffled and dealt in the same manner. [See "Section 16 - Explanations," discussion #2, for more information on this rule.]
5. If the dealer mistakenly deals the first player an extra card (after all players have received their starting hands), the card will be returned to the deck and used for the burncard. If the dealer mistakenly deals more than one extra card, it is a misdeal.
6. You must declare that you are playing the board before you throw your cards away; otherwise you relinquish all claim to the pot. - Bob Ciaffone