After cards are dealt, the rest of the players at the table must call or raise the big blind in order to stay in the game. They must pay their blinds before any cards are dealt, hence why it's called a 'blind'. The blinds are paid by the two players to the left of the dealer. The small blind is typically half of the big. You can think of the big blind as the 'full' ante for the round.

There is usually a small blind and a big blind in Texas Hold'Em.

Blinds - Blinds are forced bets as well, however they are only imposed on one or two players.

Some higher level tournament play uses both antes and blinds. However, it's still good to know the term. Texas Hold'em is typically played with blinds (see definition below) instead of antes.

Ante - The ante is an amount all players at the table must pay into the pot so they can be dealt into the game.

Pot - This is the sum of everything that is being wagered during a game of poker.

Terms and Definitionsīefore getting into the gameplay itself, let's cover a few important terms for learning how to play Texas Hold’Em.

While you don’t need to bet anything to play, we definitely recommend either getting a set of poker chips, grabbing a few stacks of pennies, or some snacks to bet with, just to keep things interesting. Texas Hold’Em is one of the most popular poker games in the world and is a great party game for friends and family. Learn the rules of one of the most popular poker games in the world.

Poker rules texas hold'em