How to Play Texas Hold ‘Em Poker
Texas Hold ‘Em Poker
Introduction
Out of all of the different poker variants normally played in the world today, Texas Hold ‘Em Poker is by far the most popular. It is a game that can be played in any betting structure and it is one of the easier modern poker variants to learn and apply. There is just the right amount of available versus unavailable information to make the game infinitely interesting to most of the people that play, and because poker is ultimately a social activity, that combination is very conducive to the popular nature that the game has taken on.
Game Play
Texas Hold ‘Em starts with each of the different players being dealt two cards face down. In each hand, a player is required to place a small blind and another is required to place a big blind, forced bets that rotate around the table and are placed before the dealing of those two face down cards takes place. The two face down cards are known as hole cards.
Once each player has received their hole cards, a round of betting commences in which players can call the big blind, fold their hand or raise the bet higher than the current amount of the big blind. If a player raises the bet, the action goes around again with each player having the same options against the raised amount.
Once the betting has been resolved in that round, three cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. These three cards are collectively known as the flop and represent community cards that every player can use in making their final poker hand. Once the flop has been dealt, another round of betting commences, starting with the player that was the small blind in the first round.
When that betting round has been completed, another card is then dealt face up in the center an next to the flop. The card is known as the turn and it precedes another round of betting. One more card is dealt in the same manner and is known as and called the river and after that card is dealt a final round of betting takes place. When the betting is complete, players turn over their hands and the player that can make the best five card poker hand from their two hole cards and the five community cards wins the hand and takes the pot.
History
The history of Texas Hold ‘Em Poker is a little vague, although most believe that it was created by the Texas road gamblers of the 1960s. For this reason, people like Amarillo Slim and Doyle Brunson are associated with this particular poker variant, although by Brunson’s own admission the game was practically dead until it was revived by the World Series of Poker and the eventual poker boom that resulted from it. Since that time, Texas Hold ‘Em Poker has become the most popular poker variant around and that is a trend that is expected to continue well into the next decade at least.
