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Texas Holdem Basics
By far, Texas Hold'em is the most popular
game played in casino poker rooms. It's growing popularity
is largely due to those glitzy televised tournaments, not to
mention the fact that the World Series of Poker uses this
game to establish the world champion. Although expert play
requires much skill, this game is easy to learn. Hold'em is
typically played with up to nine or ten players at each
table. Often compared to Seven Card Stud, Hold'em is
faster-paced and is more action-packed.
Game Play
Playing Hold'em, two cards are
dealt face down to each player, then a round of betting
based on those two cards takes place. In the first round, if
you do not want to fold, you must call or raise the blind
bet. You will find that a majority of the casinos allow a
bet and three or four raises with each betting round.
However, when only two players compete for the pot there is
no limit on the number of raises allowed.
After betting on the first round
is complete, three shared cards are dealt face up in the
center of the table. These cards are known as the 'flop'.
After the flop is dealt another round of betting takes
place. On this and every consecutive round, players can
'check' if no one else has bet when it's their turn to do
so. Then, if there is no bet, a player can check or bet. If
there is a bet, players can then fold, call, raise, or
re-raise.
After that, a fourth shared card
is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This card is
known as the 'turn'. After the turn is dealt another round
of betting will take place. Then, the fifth and final shared
card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This card
is known as the 'river'. After the river is dealt, the last
round of wagering takes place. The winner is defined as the
player holding the best five-card poker hand. To achieve the
best hand, players are able to use any combination of their
two private cards along with the five shared cards.
With the actual lay-out of the
game being pretty basic, there is also a certain
sophistication to this game that makes it a major target for
popularity. |
