Objective: To have the best possible combination of 5 cards using the 5 cards of the community and the 2 cards of the personal hand, known as holecards or pocket cards, to win the hand.

1. Each player is dealt two face-down cards as personal hand, holecards or pocket cards. Afterwards, each player gets a chance to exercise his/her betting options.

2. The dealer burns one card and then deals three cards to the community, this is called the flop, and it is followed by another round of betting.

3. The dealer burns a card and then deals another card to the community called the turn or 4th street, followed by another round of betting.

4. The dealer burns a card and then turns the last card to the community, this is called the river of the 5th street, followed by a last round of betting.

5. Each player still in the game shows his/her cards. The first better or the player who re-raised is the first one to show his/her cards, this is called the Showdown.

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Texas Hold'Em is a Seven Card Stud where each player is dealt two face down cards (HOLE CARDS), the five remaining cards (COMMUNITY CARDS) are dealt to the center of the table and all players may use to complete their hand.The best combination of five cards wins according to the following list of possible handsTwo "HOLE" cards plus any  three of the "COMMUNITY" cards. Tne “HOLE” cards plus any four of the "COMMUNITY" cards.Five "COMMUNITY" cards. If more than one player uses the five COMMUNITY cards as their winning hand, the pot will be divided among them, notwithstanding the HOLE cards in their hand. The remaining chips will be raked to the winning player nearest to the left of the dealer.

 

THE OPEN

    The deal starts with the player in position #1 and will continue to the left with each hand played.

    One BUTTON will move to the left with the deal. It will identify the dealer.

    The deck must be shuffled and cut by the player to the right of the dealer.

    Each player is dealt two face down cards (hole cards).

    Betting starts with the player to the left of the big blind and continues to the left. Each player must call, raise or fold. The only player that may check is the big-blind player, since he already posted his/her total bet; this in case a player has previously raised.

   "Call" matching the big blind or the minimum bet.

   "Raise"  raising or calling the bet of the previous player.

   "Fold" permanently out of the hand being played (the cards are given facedown to the dealer and placed on the dead stack)

    The player that posted the small blind may call betting half of the remaining big blind plus the raises of the previous players.
    The big blind may be checked, called or raised.

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THE FLOP

    After the first round of betting is completed the dealer will burn the top card and place the next three Community cards face up in the center of the table.

    The second round of bets starts with the first active player to the dealer's left.

    Players have the following betting options or they can fold:
    Check declining to bet at this time but retaining the option to call or raise bets made by other players. Bet the lower limit. Raise calling the previous bet plus

           a raise lower limit.

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THE TURN

    The dealer will now burn the top card and turn over the next one, placing it beside the three previous cards, this is the fourth Community card.

    The betting will again start with the first active player to the dealer's left.

    Now players may bet and raise as they wish.

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THE RIVER

    The dealer burns and turns the final Community card.

    Betting will be the same as in the previous round.

    If a player makes a bet that all remaining players fail to call the hand is over with that player taking the pot and without having to show his cards.

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THE SHOWDOWN

    After the all bets are called each player still in the hand will have bet the same amount and the dealer will declare that the pot is right.

    All players must turn over their cards (visible to all players) and call their own hand.

    The best five card hand wins the pot unless someone has gone All-In as described above.
   

BETTING ROUNDS
    In each betting round, player have 4 options:

    1. They may check (only during the round after the flop):
    If the first active player wants to pass check, this player may pass the bet to the next player and wait for his next turn.
    If the other players passed, the hand is opened and the first player that passed cannot bet.
    If another player decides to bet, when the turn for the player that passed the first time, s/he will have the option to call the previous bet or re-raise.

    2. They can bet:

    a. make a call

    i. match the big blind

    ii. match the previous bet

    b. They can bet the minimum, which is the big blind.

    c. They can bet any amount of their chips.

    3. They can re-raise a raise; with this option the player complete the previous bet and re-raise.

    4. Thy may fold the hand, giving their cards to the dealer.

    B. In the first round of betting, the first player to bet it the one to the left of the player that posted the big blind and the minimum bet will be the big blind. In the next betting rounds, the first player to bet is the small-blind player, also called under the gun player, even if in the previous round another player re-raised.

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    1. If a player wants to re-raise, s/he may do this by completing the big blind and re-raising (increasing) the minimum amount of the big blind. Future re-raises must complete the previous bet and re-raise at least the amount of the previous bet. Only three re-raises per hand are allowed. For example, if the big blind is $25 and the next player wants to re-raise, s/he has to complete the $25 and the minimum to re-raise is $25, so his/her minimum bet if he wants to re-raise is $50.

    2. When it is his turn to bet the small blind, if all the players have posted a call, the small blind player must complete his blind with at least the amount of the big blind.

    3. When it is his turn to bet the big blind, if all the players have posted a call, he has the option to re-raise or stay and move to the next level.

    C. The five face-up cards belong to the community. The player may use any combination of the 5 community cards plus the 2 cards in his personal hand. Players may even use the 5 community cards and none of their personal cards.

    D. The maximum bet for each player is the chips s/he has, All-in.

    E. The ten finalists will begin play with the next level of limits and blinds above the last level in play prior to combining the tables.

    F. In case of a tie, the pot is split, and the tie will not be broken using the suits.

    G. MISDEALS:

    1. If the first holecard dealt to a player is exposed by mistake, the hand will be a misdeal. The dealer must rake the card, re-shuffle and cut the deck.

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    2. If a holecard —one of the two cards dealt face down to the players— that is not the first dealt card is exposed, the hand continues. The exposed card is not given to the player that was supposed to receive it, and the dealer will give the player the next card in the deck once s/he has finished dealing the personal or holecards to all the players. The exposed card will be used as the next burncard.

   

    3. If more than one holecard or personal cards are exposed, the hand will be considered a misdeal and the deck must be re-shuffled, cut and dealt.

    4. If more than 3 cards are dealt to the first 3 FLOP community cards, these must be re-dealt, even if it is possible to determine which one is the extra card.

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    a. If the FLOP has to be re-dealt, whether because the 3 flop cards were prematurely exposed before the betting round ended or before the flop had more than 3 cards, all the community cards, or boardcards, will be re-shuffled with the rest of the deck the burncards will remain on the table. After shuffling, the dealer will cut the deck and deal a new FLOP without burning any card.

    5. If the dealer opens the 4th street or the turn before the betting round starts, that card is considered dead for that round, even if the next players want to fold. The betting round is completed and the dealer burns and turns the card that should have been the 5th street or the river, in place of the fourth card. Once the round is finished the dealer must shuffle the remaining cards in the deck including the card he prematurely exposed, but no including the burnt cards. Now the dealer cuts the deck and deals the last facedown card without burning a card. If the fifth card, 5th street or the River, is prematurely exposed, the deck is reshuffled and dealt in the same way.

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    6. If a dealer inadvertently deals an additional card to the first player after all the players have been dealt their holecards, that card will be returned to the deck and will be used as the burn card for the next round of dealing. If the dealer inadvertently deals more than one additional cards, the hand will be considered a misdeal.

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 HAND RANKING (from the stronger to the weaker)

   

    1.            Royal Flush: Ace, king, queen, jack and "10", of the same suit.

    2.            Straight Flush: A hand that contains five cards in sequence.

    3.            Poker or "four of a kind": four cards of the same rank.

    4.            Full: Three matching cards of one rank and tow matching cards of another rank.

    5.            Color: Five cards of the same suit, but with no sequence.

    6.            Flush: Five cards in sequence.

    7.            Three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank.

    8.            Two pair: Two cards of the same rank plus two cards of another rank.

    9.            One pair: Two cards of the same rank.

    10.          High Card: The highest card (Ace is the highest)

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