Poker Basics of Texas Hold em
April 25, 2008
The game of poker has been around for over a hundred years, but in the last decade it has seen dramatic growth thanks to the publicity several of the largest tournaments have received in the media, as well as several poker related movies, and even some poker specific TV shows. One of the most popular variations of the game is Texas Hold-em.
Texas Hold’em can be played two main ways … No Limit Holdem and Limit Holdem. The poker rules are the same, but the betting styles differ dramatically. Texas Hold-em itself is a relatively easy game to learn. It takes a lot of time, money, and observation to attain the skill level needed to play as a professional, but it doesn’t take hardly anything to understand the game enough to enjoy playing it.
A regular game of Texas Hold ‘em can accommodate as few as two to as many as ten players per table. As with all other poker games, there is also a dealer and a 52 card deck. The dealer distributes two cards to each player, face down as with any other card game. You may view your cards but are required to conceal them from your opponents. These cards are referred to as your hole cards, and they comprise your starting hand.
The first round of betting occurs as soon as players have received and viewed their starting hand. You may bet, raise, call (which means you will meet a previous player’s bet but not raise), or fold (which means you forfeit the hand) depending on the strength of your starting hand.
After the first round of betting, the dealer places three cards at the center of the table. These are called community cards and can be used to make any five-card combination with the hole cards. These three cards are called the flop. There is a round of betting after the flop with the same options as previously described.
After the flop a fourth card is dealt to the center of the table. This is card the turn. As before, another round of betting ensues, followed by the dealing of the fifth and final community card. This card is called the river. After the river is dealt, there is a final round of betting followed by a showdown. The showdown is when all remaining players reveal their cards.
In addition to the dealer, other players sitting at the table have obligations. The player to the dealer’s immediate left is called the small blind, and the player to the dealer’s immediate right is called the big blind. The size of the blind is pre-determined, and the players in the blind positions must bet that money to start the pot.
These are just the bare necessities for understanding Texas Hold ‘em, but you’ve got to start somewhere if you want to learn to play poker. The only way to improve your poker is to play, and there are plenty of places and ways to do that.
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