How to Play Texas Hold ‘Em Poker
Texas Hold ‘Em is the fastest growing and most popular poker variation on this ugly planet of ours. No one has a fucking clue where and when it began. The most popular story has it beginning in Robstown, Texas, (thus the name) in the early 1900’s. It’s known for sure however that by 1925 the game was being played all over the US of A.
In 1970, the first World Series of Poker was played in Las Vegas, back when the Mob still owned the place. The game of choice was Texas Hold ‘Em. This still young game got made quickly, and shot up to become the most popular poker game in the English speaking world.
Like every other poker variant Hold ‘Em is played using a standard 52 card deck. It can be played with as few as two and as many as eleven players. But unlike the other “stud” versions of the game, most of the cards dealt are used as community cards. The dealer places these cards, face up, in the center of the table for any player to use.
5 Basic Parts of Every Hold ‘Em Game
The Pre-Flop – Each player is dealt two cards, face down. These cards are referred to as the “pocket pair”. A round of betting follows and it is rare for any player to give up at this first stage.
The Flop – Now the dealer lays three cards down in the center of the table, face up. These are the first of the cards that will be available to any player at the table.
The Turn – After another round of betting by the players who have not decided to fold, the dealer lays another face up card onto the table.
The River – The final face up card is dealt and at this point betting heats up. Each player now has to determine the best possible hand they can make from at least one of their pocket pair and the community cards.
The Showdown – After all the betting is done, each player in turn reveals their pocket pair and calls the hand they have chosen. Texas Hold ‘Em uses the same hand rankings as any other version of poker, so the pot goes to the player calling the highest.
Very rarely, after the River card is dealt, the five cards on the table will comprise the highest hand in the game, a Royal Flush. If this should happen, the pot is split between all the lucky bastards still left in the game at that point.
There are thousands of books and articles out there that will give you all kinds of different advice on the best poker hand odd strategies. However, what works well for one player may not work well for you. Understanding the odds is another basic that should be learned before putting your chips down.
Simply put, bluffing is essential to playing great poker, or even just surviving. It’s a large part of what makes it such an exciting game. If everybody at a table knew everyone else’s hand, and the pot just went to the best, then what the hell would be the point of playing?
