Full Example Hand Of Hold’em
This post is going to go through an example round of Texas Hold’em and will hopefully illustrate the way things can change from one community card to the next. This example will not include any betting or bluffing, which is something I will talk about in later posts. This example game will contain four players.
BillJoeMarkKim
The Flop
At this point, Bill is holding King trips and is looking very strong. Joe is holding the rags and although there is a chance he could make a few inside straights (6-7-x-x-10) or (4-x-6-7-x) or (x-4-x-6-7), it would be best for Joe to fold. Mark is holding ace high and 4 spades so he is sitting on a flush draw. Kim has four cards in a run and needs either a 9 or and Ace to make a straight.
The Turn
A jack on the turn made things very interesting. Bills hand has not improved but is still very strong. He may believe he has the best hand out there because he is holding trips with the highest card on the board. The Jack of Clubs does not help Mark with his flush draw and Kim has now a pair of Jacks as well as a chance of making a straight.
The River
The river brings joy to some and pain to others. Bill, while having three Kings no longer has the strongest hand, but there is a good chance he won’t realise it (yet). Mark has made a flush with five spades and has the winning hand. He should know he has won this hand and should not try to show Kim or Bill the strength of his hand. If betting was involved in this hand, he should bet an amount he knows they can’t resist calling or even better, re-raising. Kim has the potential to get hurt the most. Kim has made a straight and would feel very confident that they are holding the highest hand. Again, if betting was involved, Kim would most likely bet but if Kim bets too strong, Kim stands to lose a lot of chips or go out all together.
So, as you can see, Texas Holdem has many twists and turns and this is part of the attraction of the game. Mark, while he did not start with the strongest hand, ended up winning with the strongest hand, in this case, a ‘nut flush’. I hope this helped understand how the game works without betting and bluffing. When you add in those elements, you are never quite sure who has what cards.