All You Need To Know How To Play Texas Hold Em Poker
- Filed under: Casinos
- Date: Sep 17,2009
There are numerous kinds of poker out there in card playing land, but by far the most popular betting card game in the poker world is Texas Hold Em. It seems like an easy play for the person looking on because so many cards are showing for all the players to use, but in actuality, you must be a shrewd player when it comes to winning because not only must you be able to build a good hand from all the cards available, you must be able to psych out your opponents as well. There is a goodly amount to learn if you want to know how to play Texas Hold Em poker.
Just turn on the TV any day of the week and check out all the channels that have a poker tournament running and you will see just how popular Texas Hold Em is in the world of sports. It is a good game to televise, because the camera can get right down on the table and you are privy to everyone’s hole cards and that makes following the betting of each player so much easier to understand when you know what he is working with. Plus you have the running commentary of the MC that helps as well. All in all, there are hundreds of ways to learn how to play Texas Hold Em well, and the TV is just one outlet.
The play starts when the designated dealer (designated by a button placed in front of him) calls for the enforced bets to go into the pot. These bets are called antes and blinds. The first player to the left of the dealer posts the first blind bet called the small blind. Then the second player to the dealer’s left posts the second blind bet called the big blind. In most Texas Hold Em games, the small blind is of the big blind. The dealer will now deal two cards face down to each player seen only by the player they are dealt to, and these cards are called the hole cards. From these two cards, each player must decide whether they are good enough to continue betting and playing, or should he fold—not bet or play anymore in that hand.
This is where knowing how to play Texas Hold Em is a must, because the betting starts after the 2 hole cards are dealt, and you must decide not only if you are going to stay in the game, but how much you are going to bet at this point. The player to the left of the big blind starts the betting and he will fold, or check or raise or call depending on his hand, and then everyone else in order bets. Now, the dealer will deal out 3 cards onto the table top face up so everyone can see them and these are the community cards (available for everyone to use in their betting and hand formation strategy) and are called the “flop”. Now another round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer ensues, and after this betting round, the dealer places another community card face up on the table—this is the “turn”. Now, with the 4 community cards showing and your 2 hole cards, you have to make the decision if you can make a decent 5 card combo from these cards, or should you throw in your cards and fold.
After this round of betting, the dealer now places the 5th community card on the table for all players to see and use and this card is called the “river”. It is now time for the final round of betting where all players who are still in the game must again decide if they have a fighting chance against the other players with the 5 cards showing on the table and their hole cards—-every player is making the same decision. Of course, there can always be someone who has next to nothing as far as a betting hand goes but he wants to make everyone else think he does, so he will “bluff” in his betting and you must figure out with what the other players have bet, and what you are holding, as to whether every bet is legitimate or is someone just bluffing to try to win the pot with a nothing hand. You must always have your antennae out after you learn how to play Texas Hold Em poker, because bluffing by one or more players is a very common occurrence and you must include that fact into your strategy for your own possible win.
After this round of betting, all players that are still in the game (have not yet folded their cards) must show their hands including their hole cards, and the best 5 card hand combination wins the pot. If there is more than one player with the same identical hand, then the players split the pot—-also, if the community cards happen to be the best combination for everyone left around the table, then all players left sitting must split the pot. Now the dealer button moves clockwise to the next person at the table, and he becomes the dealer for the next hand.
Learning how to play Texas Hold Em poker can be a rewarding experience and one that is exciting and a lot of fun as well. As with any game worth its salt, it has all kinds of tricks and turns and quirky little plays that you must be aware of every time you play, but when you start getting involved with it and play on a regular basis, you will soon see why Texas Hold Em is the world’s most popular form of poker.
Dean Evert has written and published other works regarding poker strategies ebook. For more information on poker strategies ebook visit our site.
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