Wsop Poker Rules Texas Holdem

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Wishing you could find all the key info about the 2020 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in one place? You'll love this WSOP 2020 schedule.

As announced here on PokerNews on Friday, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) are coming back soon with an unprecedented mix of online and live games.

The action will be split between WSOP.com and GGPoker, giving players from different countries the opportunity to participate and compete in a one-of-a-kind $10,000 WSOP Main Event.

The 2020 WSOP Main Event is underway for players located outside the US, and American players will soon have their chance to join the competition to become the next poker world champion. Texas Hold 'Em (or Texas Holdem) is the primary version of Poker played in many casinos, and it's the version seen on television shows like the Travel Channel's World Poker Tour and ESPN's World Series of Poker. These are the basic rules for Texas Hold 'Em Poker. The Shuffle, The Deal, and The Blinds The dealer shuffles a standard 52-card deck.

This means we are going to have an official 2020 Main Event champion in 2020, although the situation caused by the COVID pandemic will make everything...a bit different.

Continue reading to learn:

• The Schedule of the PokerNews WSOP Main Event coverage. (coming soon)

WSOP 2020 Schedule: the Main Event

Forget the long queues at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and the comments about the close-to-polar temperatures in the tournament room.

The largest part of the 2020 WSOP Main Event action is going to happen online with only 18 survivors being invited to play a game of live poker.

To complicate things even further, not everyone will play at the same time this year. The two poker operators set up two different schedules that converge into one final event scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on Dec. 30.

To help you keep track of what-happens-where and know what are the key dates that are relevant to you, we put together a detailed 2020 WSOP schedule with everything there is to know about this year's $10,000 Main Event.

Schedule of the 2020 WSOP Domestic Main Event

The 'domestic' Main Event is a $10,000 buy-in freezeout no-limit Texas hold'em tournament that will take place on WSOP.com.

This poker tournament will be open to all players in New Jersey and Nevada.

• The action begins on Sunday, Dec. 13, with the event's only Day 1 flight.
• The tournament will then continue on Monday, December 14, and play down to a final table of nine players.
• The final table will see all the qualifiers play down to a winner at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, on Monday, Dec. 28.

Important Notice: You do not need to be a resident of New Jersey or Nevada to play — but you are required to be physically located in one of these two states to access the games on the WSOP.com client.

For more info about this, have a look at our guides to online poker in New Jersey and online poker in Nevada.

Schedule of the 2020 WSOP International Main Event

To allow more players to join the event and fight for the most coveted title in poker, the WSOP will run an 'international' leg of the Main Event as well.

This $10,000 freezeout tournament will take place on the GGPoker client, the same that already hosted a successful online edition of the WSOP in the summer.

_{If you are not sure whether you are allowed to play games on GGPoker, you can visit this page.}

Given that the GGPoker leg of the 2020 WSOP Main Event is expected to attract a larger crowd, the organizers split the action into three starting flights.

• The action on GGPoker will begin on Sunday, Nov. 29 with the Day 1a.
• The other Day 1's will take place on Saturday, Dec. 5, and Sunday, Dec. 6.
• All the survivors will then play down to nine players on Monday, Dec. 7.
• The last nine participants will play down to a winner in a game of live poker to be held at the King's Casino in Rozvadov, on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

Should travel restrictions or a casino shutdown prevent the WSOP Main Event final table to take place in Rozvadov, the organizer announced they will consider moving the event online or rescheduling it to a later date.

Keep in mind that each player can only play one Day 1, so you won't be able to re-enter the tournament after you are eliminated.

The 2020 WSOP Main Event Heads-Up Finale

The winner of both the 'domestic' and the 'international' legs of this unprecedented 2020 WSOP Main Event will then play in a special Heads-Up Finale that will take place at the Rio on Wednesday, Dec. 30.

The winner of this adrenaline-packed game will walk away with an added $1,000,000 cash prize, a bracelet, and the title of 2020 WSOP Main Event champion.

WSOP 2020 Schedule: FAQs

This year's competition is split between the WSOP.com poker client and the GGPoker client, with both operators sunning tournaments at different times.

The action at WSOP.com (New Jersey and Nevada players only) begins on Dec. 13, 2020. More info here.

The action at GGPoker begins on Nov. 29. More info here.

The final table of the 'domestic' 2020 WSOP Main Event will take place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, on Monday, Dec. 28, 2020.

The final table of the 'international' 2020 WSOP Main Event will take place at the Kings Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2020.

The US-only tournament to be hosted on the WSOP.com platform feature a single Day 1 on December 13, 2020.

The GGPoker leg of the 2020 WSOP Main Event features three starting flights:

• Day 1 A: Sunday, Nov. 29
• Day 1 B: Saturday, Dec. 5
• Day 1 C: Sunday, Dec.6

Despite the three starting flights, players will be allowed to enter only a single Day 1.

The 2020 WSOP Heads Up Finale will see the winner of the 'domestic' and the 'international' WSOP Main Event play down to a final winner.

The event will take place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Dec. 30. More info here.

Table Of Contents

What Is Texas Hold'em Poker?

Texas Hold'em is by far the most popular of all poker variations. All of the marquee tournaments around the world (including those played at the World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour, the European Poker Tour, and elsewhere) feature the no-limit variation of this game. In fact, Texas hold'em is so popular some who aren't familiar with poker don't realize there are other ways to play the game.

Learning how to play Texas hold'em poker is not that difficult, but don't let the simplicity of the game mislead you. The number of possible game situations is so vast that the game can be very complex, when playing at a high level. That's the inspiration for the famous saying about Texas hold'em that 'it takes a moment to learn, but a lifetime to master.'

When playing the game for the first time, you will want to be familiar with the basic rules for Texas hold'em that are explained below.

Texas Hold'em Rules

So how do you play Texas hold'em? In Texas hold'em players are trying to make the best five-card poker hand according to traditional poker rankings. In this respect, hold'em is not unlike other poker games like five-card draw. However, the way players construct their hands in Texas hold'em is a little different than in draw poker.

In hold'em each player is dealt two cards face down (the 'hole cards'), then over the course of subsequent rounds five more cards are eventually dealt face up in the middle of the table. These face up cards are called the 'community cards' because each player uses them to make a five-card poker hand.

The five community cards are dealt in three stages. The first three community cards are called the 'flop.' Then just one card is dealt, called the 'turn.' Finally one more card, the fifth and final community card, is dealt — the 'river.'

Players construct their five-card poker hands using the best available five cards out of the seven total cards (the two hole cards and the five community cards). This can be done by using both of the hole cards in combination with three community cards, one hole card in combination with four community cardsm or no hole cards and playing all five community cards — whatever works to make the best five-card hand.

If the betting causes all but one player to fold, the lone remaining player wins the pot without having to show any cards. For that reason, players don't always have to hold the best hand to win the pot. It's always possible a player can 'bluff' and get others to fold better hands. If two or more players make it all of the way to the showdown after the last community card is dealt and all betting is complete, then the only way to win the pot is to have the highest-ranking five-card poker hand.

Let's get into some specifics including how to deal Texas hold'em and how the betting works. A good way to explain the order of play is to talk about some of the key positions at the table — the button and the blinds (small blind and big blind).

The Button

Play moves clockwise around the table, starting with action to the left of the dealer button. The button is a round disc that sits in front of a player and is rotated one seat to the left every hand. When playing in casinos and poker rooms, the player with the dealer button doesn't actually deal the cards (the poker room hires someone to do that). In home games with friends, though, the player with the button usually does deal the hands.

Generally, the first two players sitting to the immediate left of the button are required to post a small blind and a big blind to initiate the betting. From there, action occurs on multiple streets: preflop, the flop, the turn and the river (explained further below).

The button determines which player at the table is the acting dealer. In Texas hold'em, the player on button, or last active player closest to the button, receives last action on all postflop streets of play.

While the dealer button dictates which players have to post the small and big blinds, it also determines where the dealing of the cards begin. The player to the immediate left of the dealer button in the small blind receives the first card and then the dealer pitches cards around the table in a clockwise motion from player to player until each has received two starting cards.

The Blinds

As mentioned, before every new hand, two players at the table are obligated to post small and big blinds. These are forced bets that begin the wagering. Without these blinds, the game would be very boring because no one would be required to put any money into the pot. Players could just wait around until they are dealt pocket aces and only play then. The blinds, however, ensure there will be 'action' on every hand.

In tournaments, the blinds are raised at regular intervals. As the number of players keeps decreasing and the stacks of the remaining players keep getting bigger, it is a necessity that the blinds keep increasing throughout a tournament. In cash games, the blinds always stay the same.

The player directly to the left of the button posts the small blind, and the player to his or her direct left posts the big blind. The small blind is generally half the amount of the big blind, although this stipulation varies from room to room and can also be dependent of the game being played. For example, in a '$1/$2' game of Texas hold'em, the small blind is $1 and the big blind is $2.

First Betting Round: Preflop

The first round of betting takes place right after each player has been dealt two hole cards. The first player to act is the player to the left of the big blind, a position referred to as 'under the gun' because the player has to act first. This player has three options:

• Call: match the amount of the big blind
• Raise: increase the bet within the specific limits of the game
• Fold: throw the hand away

If the player chooses to fold, he or she is no longer eligible to win the current hand.

The amount a player can raise to depends on the game that is being played. Most commonly in a game of no-limit Texas hold'em, the minimum opening raise must be at least twice the big blind, and the maximum raise can be all of the chips a player has in his or her stack (an 'all-in' bet).

There are other betting variations in hold'em poker. In fixed-limit hold'em (or just 'limit hold'em), a raise is always exactly twice the big blind. In pot-limit hold'em (played much less often than the other variations), players can bet anywhere from the amount of the big blind (the minimum bet allowed) up to the total amount in the current pot.

After the first player ('under the gun') acts, play proceeds in a clockwise fashion around the table with each player also having the same three options — to call, to raise, or fold. Once the last bet is called and the action is 'closed,' the preflop round is over and play moves on to the 'flop.'

Second Betting Round: The Flop

Wsop Poker Rules Texas Holdemem

After the first preflop betting round has been completed, the first three community cards are dealt and a second betting round follows involving only the players who have not folded already.

In this betting round (and subsequent ones), action starts with the first active player to the left of the button. Along with the options to bet, call, fold, or raise, a player now has the option to 'check' if no betting action has occurred beforehand. A check simply means to pass the action to the next player in the hand.

Again betting continues until the last bet or raise has been called (which closes the action). It also can happen that every player simply chooses not to be and checks around the table, which also ends the betting round.

Third Betting Round: The Turn

The fourth community card, called the turn, is dealt face up following all betting action on the flop. Once this has been completed, another round of betting occurs, similar to that on the previous street of play. Again players have the option to options to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.

Final Betting Round: The River

The fifth community card, called the river, is dealt face up following all betting action on the turn. Once this has been completed, another round of betting occurs, similar to what took play on the previous street of play. Once more the remaining players have the option to options to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.

After all betting action has been completed, the remaining players in the hand with hole cards now expose their holdings to determine a winner. This is called the showdown.

The Showdown

The remaining players open their hole cards, and with the assistance of the dealer a winning hand is determined. The player with the best combination of five cards wins the pot according to traditional poker hand rankings. These hand rankings aren't specifically part of Texas hold'em rules, but apply to many different poker games.

• Royal Flush — five cards of the same suit, ranked ace through ten; e.g., A♥K♥Q♥J♥10♥
• Straight Flush — five cards of the same suit and consecutively ranked; e.g., 9♣8♣7♣6♣5♣
• Four of a Kind — four cards of the same rank; e.g., Q♣Q♥Q♦Q♠4♦
• Full House — three cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g., J♣J♥J♠8♦8♥
• Flush — any five cards of the same suit; e.g., A♠J♠8♠5♠2♠
• Straight — any five cards consecutively ranked; e.g., Q♣J♦10♥9♠8♦
• Three of a Kind — three cards of the same rank; e.g., 8♣8♠8♦K♣4♥
• Two Pair — two cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g., A♠A♣J♦J♣7♠
• One Pair — two cards of the same rank; e.g., 10♥10♣9♥4♦2♦
• High Card — five unmatched cards; e.g., A♣J♦10♠5♣2♥ would be called 'ace-high'

Remember, players construct their hands by choosing the five best cards from the seven available (their two hole cards and the five community cards).

Wsop Poker Rules Texas Holdemem 2nd High Card

For example, if the board is showing 9♣5♠K♦3♠A♥, a player with the two hole cards 9♠ would have two pair (aces and nines), and would lose to a player who has 9♦9♥ for three of a kind (three nines).

Learning hold'em poker begins with understanding how hands are dealt and the order of play as described above. Of course, learning Texas hold'em rules is just the beginning, as the next step is to learn strategy which involves understanding what constitutes good starting hand selection, the odds and probabilities associated with the game, the significance of position and getting to act last during those postflop betting rounds, and many other aspects of the game.

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