TEXAS HOLDEM
Texas Holdem is the most popular community card game, that is a variant of poker, played in most casinos in the United States. Texas Holdem is known to be the easiest poker version to be learnt, but it takes a lifetime to master. Texas Holdem can be played in the traditional, land- based casinos, as well as in the poker rooms over the Internet. Nowadays, many keen gamblers prefer playing Texas Holdem from the comfort of their homes, as they are given the opportunity to play not only for real money, but also for free and fun. This advantage offered by most online poker rooms is very appropriate for poker novices to learn the Texas Holdem basics with free practicing the game, until they feel ready to risk their own money.
TEXAS HOLDEM - The Deck
Texas Holdem is played with 2 up to 10 players, using a standard 52- card deck. The playing cards come in four different suits - Hearts, Spades, Clubs and Diamonds, where each has thirteen ranks, that are ranked, from high to low, as goes - Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Usually, in every game of poker, Ace can be used as a lowest or highest card, but in most cases it is high. The object of Texas Holdem is to form the strongest five- card combination and to win the pot.
TEXAS HOLDEM - Rules
Before Texas Holdem game starts, each player must put an Ante or place the blinds in order to form the pot. Ante is not very used method of initial betting for a game of Texas Holdem, while blinds count toward player's total investment toward the first round of betting and they are based on the limit of the game. Blinds are mandatory bets, where the firts player to the dealer's left puts the Small Blind, and the second player to dealer's left posts the Big Blind. Once, blinds are posted, each player is dealt two facedown cards, that are called player's pocket/ hole cards. The first betting round, the pre- flop, follows with the player to the left of the dealer, and when it is over, the dealer discards three community cards on the board. During the betting rounds, each player decides how to play his hand or whether to play it at all. From that point of view, each player has the choice to Call, Raise or Fold. The second betting round, known as flop, comes and proceeds clockwise (according to Texas Holdem rules, action always goes clockwise). After the flop finishes, dealer deals the fourth face- up community card and the turn follows. When the third betting round is over, the fifth community card is dealt face- up, and the final betting round, the river, comes. In a game of Texas Holdem players are allowed to use both their hole cards and the five community cards, in order to make the best possible poker hand. After the river, all remaining players in the game reveal their cards, and the player with the strongest five- card combination is the winner and he gets the pot.
