How A Hand Plays Out

Things you will learn:

What happens during a poker hand

No-Limit Hold'em cash games are the most exciting, thrilling and ultimately profitable form of poker you will find.

But if you play them without the right preparation they can prove very costly indeed. So before you sit down to play, let's run over the basics of No-Limit Hold'em.

The basics of Hold'em

No-Limit Texas Hold'em is like Limit Hold'em in most respects.

Every player is dealt two cards face down (the 'hole cards'). Then there is a round of betting. This stage of the game is known as pre-flop.

When all the betting has finished three shared cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. This is called the flop.

After this there is another round of betting, then a fourth shared card - called the turn – is dealt. There is another round of betting then a final shared card - called the river - and a final round of betting.

Your final hand will be made by using one or both of your two hole cards with the five cards in the middle to make the best possible five card poker hand. So, for example, if you have 9-9 and the shared cards are 10-J-Q-K-2 you have a straight (five cards in a row).

If the shared cards were J-Q-K-7-2 you would only have two nines.

Sometimes the best hand is made by the five shared cards on their own. If they were 10-J-Q-K-A and you had 9-9 your hole cards would not play as there is a straight of higher value already showing. This is called playing the board.

This is the end

There are two ways a hand can end.

One is when the players in a hand turn over their hole cards and the player with the best hand wins. This is known as a showdown.

The other is that someone will bet enough that everyone else folds. This is how most hands end in No-Limit Hold'em and that's the magic of the game - you don't always need the best hand to win.

OK, let's recap how a hand works using only poker slang and see if you can keep up. Firstly, you are dealt your hole cards. Then there is a round of betting. Then the players remaining see a flop. Then there is another round of betting. Then you see a turn card. Then another round of betting. Then a final river card. Then one more round of betting. The best five card hand wins. Clear? Excellent.