When you are in the late position you will have an idea of the strength of you opponents' hands by how they bet. If there have been no raises you can play weaker starting hands and hope that the flop will fit your hand. If there have been no callers, and you are last to act, you can sometimes steal the blind merely by raising with a marginal hand because of your position. You will hear players refer to this play as a positional raise.

In late position after the flop, you have more information to help you decide how to play. You can raise if your opponents bet or you can bet if everyone has checked. You may decide to check to gain a free card. If there have been bets or raises before you, and your hand was not helped by the flop, you can fold without it costing you an additional bet.

In early position you do not have this luxury after the flop. If you bet there is the chance that you will be raised. If you check in the hopes of check raising, there is a chance that everyone else will check and you will lose some potential money that would have gone into the pot.

The chart below shows a quick reference to the positions in a ten-person game. If there were fewer players in the game you would adjust this.

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Before I started studying Texas Hold'em and learning how to play properly I thought all I had to do was learn the starting hands and what to do after the flop. I knew absolutely nothing about one of the most vital aspects of the game, position. Position ranks second only to starting cards in deciding whether or not to play your hand. Understanding position is an important concept if you want to be a winning player.

Your position is determined by where you are sitting in relation to the dealer's button. Unlike games like stud, where the betting order changes with each betting round, the order is fixed in Texas Hold'em. Before the flop the person to the left of the big blind bets first. After the flop the first active player to the left of the dealer button acts first. If you are in early position you will remain there for all betting rounds.

If you play a weak or marginal hand in early position before the flop, you are at risk of getting raised by those acting after you. There is also a possibility of multiple raises. If you decide to fold, you have cost yourself a bet without ever seeing any other cards. Before you make a bet in early position you have to ask yourself if the hand is strong enough to call a raise from a player in a later position. If you would not call a raise with your starting hand you should throw it away. Some hands are drawing hands that play better with many opponents calling the pot. If you have to act first, you have no idea how many players will call or fold.

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Royal Flush
This is the best poker hand: Ten (T), Jack (J), Queen (Q), King (K), and Ace (A) of the same suit.

Straight Flush
Five cards, all of the same suit that are in sequence. Four-of-a-Kind
Four cards of equal rank: Qc, Qh, Qd, Qs. Full House
Three cards of equal rank, and two other cards of the equal rank (three of a kind and a pair): T T T 5 5.

Flush.
Any five cards of the same suit: As, Ts, 9s, 7s, 5s. Straight
Five cards of mixed suits, in sequence.

Three-of-a-Kind
Any three cards of equal rank.

Two Pair
Two cards of equal rank and two other cards of equal rank. One Pair
Two cards of equal rank.

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To determine the winner, the players may use any combination of their two hole cards (either one, or both) and the five cards on the "Board" to form the highest five-card hand. In some rare cases the best hand will be the five cards on board. In that case the active players will split the pot. A sixth card is never used to break a tie.

I was playing in a game with a player who was obviously a novice. He was in the hand with one other player. At the showdown the board cards were Kh-Kc-9s-9c-Ah. There were two pairs on board with an Ace. The first player turned over a Jack and Queen. The new player turned over his pocket cards to reveal a pair of deuces. At which point he proudly exclaimed that he had "Three pairs!" He was upset when the dealer explained to him that only five cards played and it was a split pot. This is a good example of why you should know the rules of a game before sitting down to play in the casino.

Additional Information
The five community cards are referred to as the "board." Unlike seven-card stud, all the players use the same cards. Because of this you don't have to remember cards that were folded by other players.

Although the game looks deceptively simple, there is a lot of strategy involved. Your position in relation to the dealer button is important in deciding which beginning hands you play. It is also important to learn how to read the board to determine the best possible hand.

In elementary school they teach you that you must learn the three Rs:
Reading, Riting, and Rithmatic
In Texas Hold'em you must learn the three Ps:

Position, Power, and Patience
You need to be aware of your position when deciding which starting hands to play. You want to play powerful starting hands for that position and you need the patience to wait for these hands. These will all be covered in the following chapters. The next page shows a visual representation of the game.

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When the betting round after the flop is completed, the dealer burns another card and turns a fourth card face up in the middle of the table. This is referred to as the "turn." The minimum bet after the turn is now $6 and begins again with the first active player to the left of the button.

The River
Following the betting round for the turn, the dealer will burn another card and turn a fifth and final card face up. This is called the "river," and the final betting round begins with $6 being the minimum bet. There is usually a three or four raise maximum during all betting rounds except if the play becomes heads up with two players. Then the raises are unlimited.

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After the first betting round is completed the dealer will "burn" or discard the top card on the deck. This is done to make sure no one could have accidentally seen the top card. Three cards are dealt and turned face up in the middle of the table. This is known as the "flop." These are community cards used by all the players. Another betting round begins with the first active player to the left of the dealer button. The minimum bet for this round is also $3.

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After the blinds are posted each player is dealt two cards face down, with the player on the small blind receiving the first card and the player with the dealer button getting the last card. The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind either putting in $3 to "call" the blind bet, or putting in $6 to "raise" the big blind or folding his hand. The betting goes around the table in order until it reaches the player who posted the small blind. That player can call the bet by putting in $2 since a dollar bet was already posted. The last person to act is the big blind. If no one has raised, the dealer will ask if they would like the option. This means the big blind has the option to raise or just "check."

By checking the player does not put in any more money. A rookie mistake sometimes occurs here. Because the blind is a live bet, the player with the big blind has already put his bet in. I have seen some players throw their cards in not realizing that they are already in the hand. Another rookie mistake is betting or folding your cards when it is not your turn. You must wait your turn before you act.

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