Texas hold'em is the most popular form of poker played today.
With the enormous growth in online gambling, this game has become huge in the last few years.
The aim of the game is to make the best five-card hand from any combination of the two private - hole - cards that are dealt to you face down, and the five community cards dealt face up which everyone can use.
The dealer The cards are always dealt clockwise; the betting also goes clockwise.
Each player takes turns in taking the deal, or the button, as it also known.
The action always starts to the left of whoever has the deal, which moves round one player after each hand.
Blinds The two players to the left of the dealer put in bets known as blinds.
These blinds are compulsory bets.
The player to the immediate left of the dealer posts the small blind, and the next player to their left posts the big blind.
The big blind is a bet double that of the small blind.
Opening deal Now, the game can begin.
Moving clockwise round the table from the dealer, every player receives two cards dealt face down that only they see.
These are also called pocket cards or hole cards.
These cards are not shown to the other players.
First round of betting For this round of betting, each player has three choices.
They can fold, raise, or call the last-biggest bet.
Because the players who posted the blinds have effectively opened the betting, the others in the game have to at least call this bet to stay in the hand on this round.
The betting goes round the table in a clockwise direction until each player has called, folded or raised.
If no one has raised by the time the betting returns to the person who posted the big blind, that player may check his own blind, fold or raise.
The flop After the first round of betting is completed, it is then time for the flop.
The flop is three cards dealt face up in the middle of the table.
Each player now uses these three community cards to build a five-card hand.
Now is the time for another round of betting.
This begins with the first player still in the hand sitting on the immediate left of the dealer, regardless of whether the dealer is still active in the hand.
As this time there are no blinds for players to match, players are free to check.
If everyone checks, or when they have all put equal amounts in, it is time to move on to the next card and round of betting.
The turn Once the flop betting has finished, a fourth card is dealt face up on the board.
This is the turn card.
Again, it can be used by all players to make their best hand.
As before, another round of betting begins at this point.
The river Now it is time for the fifth and final card, known as the river.
Players then decide their final best five cards.
It is time for the final round of betting.
If more than one player is still in the hand after this round, they move on to the showdown.
The showdown It is now time to see who takes the pot.
Each player still in declares their hand, beginning with the last person to bet, the second last and so on, unless they choose to muck them, which is the same as folding.
If a player wins the pot by forcing everyone else to fold on the river through betting alone, there is no showdown, and the winner can decide whether or not to show their cards.