How to Play Poker on Facebook

• Also try: Poker | How to Play Poker | How to Play Texas Hold 'Em | How to Play Poker Online

Guide Note: How to Play Poker on Facebook introduces you to Zynga Game Network's Texas Hold 'Em Poker Facebook Application.

Introduction

• Looking for a new way to waste hours of your time online? Say "hello" to your newest addiction—Facebook Texas Hold 'Em. Created by Zynga Game Network, the Texas Hold 'Em Facebook application allows you to play a friendly round of poker with your friends or other Facebook users. There's no real money on the line so you can increase your poker prowess without losing your shirt, but that doesn't mean the competition isn't stiff.

• How to Play Poker on Facebook will walk you through the ins and outs of this Texas Hold 'Em/social networking mash-up.

Getting Started

• Before you get started honing your online poker skills, you'll need two things—a Facebook account and a basic grasp of the rules of Texas Hold 'Em.

Sign Up for a Facebook Account

• If you don't have a Facebook account, you'll need to sign up for one before you can begin playing:

1. Visit Facebook's homepage at www.facebook.com.
2. Click the green Sign Up button.
3. Enter in your full name, email address, password, birthday and the "security check" words.
4. Review Facebook's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Check the box which indicates you have read and agreed to Facebook's Terms.
5. Click the Sign Up Now button.
6. A confirmation email will be sent to your inbox. Click on the confirmation link in your email. You will be brought back to Facebook.
7. Utilizing your email inbox, Facebook will alert you to which of your contacts is also a Facebook user. Check the box next to whichever people you'd like to invite to be your friend on Facebook.
   • You can choose to skip this step, but if you want to play poker exclusively with people you know, you will need to add them as Facebook friends.
8. You are now a Facebook user. Complete your profile at your leisure.

If you want to play Facebook poker, you need to join Facebook. (Screenshot by Mahalo)

Learn the Rules of Texas Hold 'Em

• Thanks to the World Series of Poker and Celebrity Poker Showdown, Texas Hold 'Em is the most popular type of poker currently played in the United States. A community game, Texas Hold 'Em is played with two "hole cards" dealt only to you and a shared set of community cards, which are placed face up in the center of the table.

• The goal of Texas Hold 'Em is to create the best possible combination of five cards. Which hand ranks higher than another in Texas Hold 'Em? The same that ranks higher in any other game of poker. Check out Mahalo's Guide to Poker Hand Rankings for a quick review.

Texas Hold 'Em Game Play

• Ready to play America's favorite poker game? All you need is one other player, and you're ready to begin.

1. Two players put in the small blind and the big blind. A blind is a mandatory bet, required to begin game play.
   • In a casino, these players are always the ones sitting to the left of the dealer. Online, this responsibility rotates. The computer will notify you with a "beep" when it is your turn to contribute the blind.
2. Each player is dealt two cards.
3. There is a round of betting, starting with the player to the left of the player who contributed the big blind. Each player must put in at least the amount of the big blind to continue playing. The player who put in the original big blind can either raise or check on his or her first turn.
4. The dealer deals three cards face up on the table. This is called the "flop."
5. There is another round of betting.
6. The dealer deals a fourth card face up on the table. This is called the "turn."
7. There is another round of betting.
8. The dealer deals a fifth card face up on the table. This is called the "river."
9. There is another round of betting.
10. If two or more players remain, they show their cards to determine the winner. The winner has the best 5-card poker hand formed with his or her hole cards and any combination of the community cards on the table.

Your Turn to Bet

• When it's your turn to bet, you can do one of the following:

1. Fold: If you have a weak hand or the betting is too high, you should fold. Folding is dropping out of play. You surrender your cards by placing them face down on the table and sliding them to the dealer.
2. Check: If no one else has bet yet, you can check, which is essentially passing on your turn without folding. If everyone checks in the first round of draw game, it gives you the opportunity to draw a new card without risking any money or dropping out of the game. To check, simply say "check" or tap the table.
3. Call: Calling means that you bet the same amount as the previous player. If other players have already bet, the minimum you can do to stay in a hand is call the previous bet.
4. Raise: Raising means you bet more than the previous player.

How to Play Poker on Facebook

• The beauty of playing poker online is that the computer will not only let you know when it's your turn to play, it will tell you what all your possible plays are. It doesn't strategize for you, but at least, it narrows down your options.

1. Log-in to your Facebook account.
2. Visit the Facebook Texas Hold 'Em Application mainpage by clicking here.
3. Click the Log in to Texas Hold 'Em Poker button.
4. You will be asked to choose your privacy settings and preferences. Check the appropriate boxes and click the Add Texas Hold 'Em Poker button.
   • When you sign up to play Texas Hold 'Em on Facebook, you'll be awarded a certain number of chips to bet. Those chips represent your play money. One of the nice things about Facebook's version of online poker, the money is always virtual.
5. The next page will show you your Texas Hold 'Em Poker menu. You can choose to invite friends or get into a game by clicking the "Play!" button.
   

   Facebook Texas Hold 'Em Poker Navigational Menu (Screenshot by Mahalo)
6. Once you're ready to play, you have a few different options:
   1. Join a game already in play by clicking the Find Me A Seat button.
   2. Set up your own private table for friends by clicking on the Create Table button.
   3. Join one of the tables listed on the screen by clicking on the Join Table button in the lower right hand side of the menu. If you join a particular table, be sure that you can afford the minimum buy-in, which is indicated in the sixth column of the table.
   4. Look for available "tournaments" to enter by clicking on the Tournaments button.
      

      Facebook Texas Hold 'Em Poker: Choose a Table or Create Your Own (Screenshot by Mahalo)
7. Once you are at a table, you will take an available seat by clicking on the SIT icon.
   • You can leave a table at any time by clicking the Leave Table button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
     

     Facebook Texas Hold 'Em Poker: Take a Seat! (Screenshot by Mahalo)
8. You will be asked to "buy-in" the game. Place your bet, and wait for your turn. When it's your turn to bet again, the computer will beep and lay out your possible plays.
   • If you need to leave your computer during a game, you can click Play Ahead and make your move in advance.
   • Click on your neighbor's Facebook icon to learn more about the person. You can also give another player chips and chat with anyone at the table.
     

     It's Your Turn! (Screenshot by Mahalo)
9. If you go broke, don't worry. You'll be given a new batch of chips every day, and you can earn bonus chips by inviting friends to play. If you get really good, you may even find yourself climbing the leader board!
   

   Facebook Texas Hold 'Em Poker Leader Board (Screenshot by Mahalo)

Resources for How to Play Poker on Facebook

• • Mahalo's Guide to How to Play Poker
  • Mahalo's Guide to How to Play Texas Hold 'Em
  • Mahalo's Guide to How to Play Poker Online

• Zynga Game Network
• Facebook Texas Hold 'Em Application   Must be a Facebook Member to Access.
• Facebook Texas Hold 'Em Help   Must be a Facebook Member to Access.
• YouTube: How to Plan Texas Holdem - Phil Gordon (Time: 3:37)