Texas Hold'em
Contents: Betting Rounds, Fixed Limits, Blinds, Penalties, Preflop, Flop, Turn, River, Showdown
Texas Hold'em is a popular and in-demand variant of online poker found in both land-based and virtual casinos and poker rooms. One of its key advantages, attractive to players, is its simple rules and dynamic gameplay. Texas Hold’em is also featured at international poker events such as the WSOP.
The round begins with each player at the table receiving two face-down cards. Then, five community cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. Players use these cards to make the best five-card hand using either two hole cards and three community cards, or one hole card and four community cards. This five-card hand is referred to as the player's "hand". 
Betting Rounds
The game consists of five consecutive betting stages:
- Preflop
- Flop
- Turn
- River
- Showdown
Each player has several betting options depending on the situation:
- Bet – placing chips into the pot to open betting for that round. The action then moves clockwise around the table. The next player can match the bet or fold.
- Call – matching the previous player’s bet.
- Raise – increasing the previous bet.
- Fold – surrendering the hand and forfeiting any chance at the pot.
- Check – passing the action to the next player without betting. Only allowed if no bet has been made in the current round.
Understanding Fixed Limits
In Fixed Limit Texas Hold'em, betting is restricted by set limits. For example, if the limit is listed as $3/$5, it means that in the first two betting rounds (preflop and flop), players can bet or raise only up to $3. In the turn and river rounds, the maximum bet or raise increases to $5.
At showdown, no further betting occurs. Remaining players reveal their hands to determine the winner of the pot.
Dealer and Blinds
The game begins with each player receiving one card. The player with the highest card becomes the dealer (button holder). The dealer button rotates clockwise with each hand. In online games, the dealer is automatically assigned. At PokerMatch, the platform handles this via software.
Before the flop, blinds create the pot. The two players to the left of the dealer post the small and big blinds. The small blind is usually 50% of the lower limit. For example, if the limit is $3, the small blind is $1.50. The big blind is equal to the minimum full bet — in this case, $3. These forced bets form the pot and are made before any cards are dealt.
Penalty Blinds
If a player chooses to “sit out” (intentionally skip hands while remaining at the table), they must pay a penalty to rejoin the game. Missing the small blind requires paying the big blind to re-enter. Missing the big blind requires paying both the small and big blinds as a dead blind — these chips go into the pot but do not count as live bets.
Preflop Stage
Each player receives two face-down “hole” cards. The first to act is the player to the left of the big blind. They can call, raise, or fold. Action proceeds clockwise. Calling means matching the big blind. The maximum raise allowed is the upper limit — for example, $5.
In fixed-limit games, each round may contain one bet and up to three raises:
- Raise
- Re-raise
- Cap
Betting example: bet → raise → 3-bet → cap. The preflop round ends once the big blind has acted, and all players have matched the current bet. If the big blind raises, a new betting round begins.
Experienced players recommend checking when possible rather than folding too early — this gives a chance to improve on later streets. If the big blind raises, another round begins.
The Flop
The dealer places three face-up community cards in the center. These help all players complete their hands. Betting starts with the first active player to the left of the dealer. If the first player checks, the action moves clockwise. Players can check, bet, raise, or fold. The round ends when all remaining players have matched the highest bet.
The Turn
A fourth community card is added. Another betting round begins, following the same structure. The bet size now matches the higher limit ($5 in our example). The round continues until all players have acted and the bets are equal. All chips go to the pot.
The River
The fifth and final community card is dealt. Each player now has seven cards to build the best five-card combination: two hole cards and five community cards. The first to act is again the player to the left of the dealer button.
If one player bets and all others fold, that player automatically wins the pot.
Showdown
Once river betting is complete, all remaining players reveal their cards to determine the winner. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. If multiple players tie, the pot is split equally. Any leftover chips go to the player closest to the dealer's left.
The order of revealing cards depends on who made the last aggressive move. If everyone checked, the first to the left of the dealer shows their hand first. If a hand is weak, a player may muck (fold face-down) without showing.
After the showdown, all cards are returned to the dealer. The pot goes to the winner, and the dealer button rotates to the next player.
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