Follow These Poker Rules in Playing Texas Hold'em

There are certain rules you should keep in mind when playing Texas Hold'em in a card room. First of all, you must "buy in" to join a game. That means you must meet the table's minimum buy-in, or the minimum amount of chips required to play. The usual minimum buy-in for a low limit game is $50. You buy the chips from the dealer. These are color coded, the color indicative of a chip's value: $1 for white, $5 for red, $25 for green, and $100 for black. You purchase your chips from the dealer. Sometimes players can buy chips from each other, but this is often not allowed. Ask your dealer first if you are uncertain.

Be aware that games are generally played "table stakes"--that is, you can only bet with the playing money you placed on the table at the beginning of a hand. You cannot add to it money from your pocket or anywhere else, and you cannot withdraw it from the game either, during the course of a hand. However, you are allowed to buy in--put more cash on the table or buy more chips--between hands.

You can join a game that is already in progress, but in most cases you will be required to "post"--meaning that you must place in the pot a bet amounting to the small and big blinds combined. Otherwise, the dealer will not give you any cards. When you post, you automatically get to see the flop unless a player raises and you do not call. On the whole it is advisable not to post; instead, you should wait until you can take a blind position and join the game as a regular blind.

There are a number of rules of conduct that you should always take care to follow. If you don't, you may be asked to leave the card room--and you may even forfeit whatever money you have in play! So take care to follow the correct conduct.

One very important rule is that you should never pick up your cards. Card rooms often have rules against players taking the cards off the table, and other players will see it as the sign of a novice player--exposing your weakness. When you are dealt your two pocket cards, just leave them lying face down on the table. To look at them, cup your hands around the cards and slightly turn up the corners so you can see the pips.

Players often do not verbalize their actions in poker. If they want to fold, they simply return their cards to the dealer without exposing them. To check, they tap the table with one hand. To call or raise, they set out chips or money, stating the amount if necessary.

Remember that in poker, actions speak just as loud as words. Even if you do not say anything, your actions will be construed as binding, and you cannot take them back. Therefore, be careful with how you act at a card table.

Never act out of turn. Aside from flouting conduct, you are giving yourself away to the other players. Wait until it is your turn before you call, fold, or raise. If you call out of turn, others may choose to fold--players who might have bet money into the pot before you made your bet.

Never splash the pot, or place your bets directly into the pot. Let the dealer place the bet in the pot for you. Otherwise, there may be questions about whether you put in the correct amount, and the dealer may have to pause the game and check the amount of money in the pot, causing unnecessary delay.

Never expose your cards or give out information unnecessarily, even after folding. This can alter the dynamics of a game after you have left it, and unfairly damage other players' strategies. They may get rightfully angry with you for such an action. Sometimes cards do get exposed by accident, though. In such cases, every player has the right to see the card that was revealed. If you let one player see a card that you hold, all the others may ask to be shown it as well.

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