Texas Holdem Review

USAPlayers.com Online Poker Online Poker Games Texas Hold Em Review

Texas Hold ’em, a tried and true game of skill and deceit tied together with a fair whack of luck and guile. As perhaps the most popular variant of poker, Texas Hold ’em has amassed a cult following in much of the United States. From online Poker games to a World Poker tour, people of all ages and demographics are enjoying Hold ‘em. It has really grown in popularity, as a number of Legal USA Poker Rooms have sprung up. Join the party, and start playing online.

Texas Holdem Betting

A round begins by one person acting as the dealer, who gives each player two cards starting with the person at his or left. Moving down the line, continuing in counter-clockwise rotation, the first player on the left and the person beyond the first on the left pays in what are called “blinds”. The small blind is typically half of the big blind, which is in turn the minimum bet required to stay in the game. 

After this first round of betting, assuming the minimum wager and all subsequent raises (a raise being a push past the minimum that all of the following players must match or fold, which is to forfeit your hand and all money placed in the pot.), you are left with two cards, your personal hand, commonly referred to as your pocket. Following this initial round of betting, the top card is set aside out of play face down and three cards are placed face up where all can see, a communal set of three. These three cards can be used by anyone along with their two to start building a winning combination of cards. This initial set of three is called the flop. After the flop is placed down, another round of betting commences following similar rules to the first round, the only difference being that the first person to bet, the person who posted the big blind, is allowed to check. To check is to sit on your hand without making a wager. Everyone else at the table can follow in kind, but if anyone makes a bet everyone has to ante up the same amount or fold their hand. 

After the second round of betting has ended, the next top card is set aside face down (referred to as “burning” a card) and a fourth communal card augments the Flop. This fourth card is called the Turn, and gives the players even more flexibility with their hands. Once again there is a round of betting, and once again another card is burned, followed by a final card added to the communal set. This fifth card is called the River is, consequently, the last card placed into play that may be used to build a potentially winning hand. A final round of betting is played after which players who have not folded will reveal their hand and thus begins the determination of the winner. 

Texas Holdem Hand Rankings

Different combinations of cards lead to different results in Texas Holdem. The smallest possible winning hand is a two of a kind, a self explanatory combination – two cards of the same value. The next down the line is the two pair, two sets of two cards of the same value. After the two pair, it begins to get a bit trickier. There is the three of a kind, then a straight. A straight is five cards in numerical order – a 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 or a 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, and so on. Post-straight we have the flush, which is five cards of the same suit. I’m not talking garments here – the suit of a card is the symbol adjoining the numbers – Clubs, Spades, Hearts, and Diamonds. Then there is the full house, which is three of one value, and two of another - for instance, two 5’s and 3 Jacks – a rare combination indeed. Proceeding down the line there is the four of a kind, which, if you’ve been paying attention, you can refer to the two and three of a kind and draw your own conjecture as to what the four of a kind may be. The penultimate combination is the Straight-Flush, which is five sequential values of the same suit. The ultimate combination, however, is the royal flush – about as common as a natural breasted porn star and about half as fun. A Royal Flush is the Ten through the Ace, all of the same suit. The odds are astronomical, but yield the highest pay out in most casino settings. Do not expect to get this even once in your life time.

The strongest hand possible, however, is the one you can build regardless of the cards on the table – A bluff. In laymen’s terms, a bluff is straight bull. If you can confound, confuse, beguile, and shake your opponents up, you can easily beat out most hands with a paltry bit of nothing. The intricacies involved in Hold ‘em stem from the root of this deceit and trickery. Your facial expression can be your best friend or your worst enemy. A piercing gaze and a steely grin can shake an opponent so bad that he or she would not bet against you even if they had a pocket of aces and a third on the table.

Playing Texas Holdem

There are more facets to Texas Hold ‘em, but the aforementioned list consists of the basics. Most of the know-how and ability to play this glorious game come from hands on experience. The only way to get ahead is jumping in the river and sink or swim. How you proceed is entirely up to you, and each player must find his or her niche. My advice for the newbie? One to two drinks tops, a pair of dark glasses, and a spit of dumb luck. If it is all a little too intimidating, then you should definitely try your hand at online Texas Holdem. You can find games at USA Casinos, and other gambling sites, such as USA Poker Rooms.

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