| Beginners Guide to Texas Holdem Poker |
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Texas Hold ‘em is a poker game that is quite popular. There are tournaments held all over the world, such as the World Series, Celebrity Poker, etc. and it is now watched on television. It is the simplest poker game to learn for the beginner. Every player plays a seven card hand if they stay until the end. The first two cards are dealt face down. The five remaining cards are dealt face up and are common to all of the players. The first three are turned up at one time and are called the Flop. The fourth card is called the Turn and the fifth is called the River. These are placed in front of the dealer in the appropriate spot on the layout on the poker table. Out of these seven cards, the player makes the best five card poker hand. Ace is high card (unless used in a low straight), deuce is low card. The winning hand is the best five card combination. From high to low the winning combinations are given below: Straight Flush consists of five cards in numerical order of the same suit. If the straight flush is ace high it is called a royal flush. A five – six – seven – eight – nine of hearts is a straight flush. A ten – jack – queen – king – ace of hearts is a royal flush. Four of a Kind is four cards of the same numerical value, each having a different suit. Full House consists of three of a kind and a pair. The suit is irrelevant. It is the numerical value of the cards that count here. If you have three fours and two kings, you have a full house. Flush is five cards of the same suit. The numerical value of the high card determines the rank of the flush. If there are two flushes, one with an ace and the other with a ten, the ace high flush will win. Straight is where there are five cards in sequential value regardless of suit. The high card determines the rank of the straight. If there are two straights, and one is seven – eight – nine- ten- jack and the other is two – three – four – five - six, the jack high straight will win. Three of a Kind is where there are three cards having the same numerical value. Two Pair is where there are two sets of two cards with the same numerical value. For example, one hand has two five and two sevens, the other hand has two kings, and two nine. The hand with the kings will win. One Pair is where there are two cards have the same numerical value. High Card is when a hand has none of the above combinations and the hand is determined by the highest card. Every deal has to have an outcome or a winner and the winner is determined by the rankings of the combinations given above. High hand takes the pot. The way the game is played is as follows. Each player begins with a certain number of chips. Before the deal, the two players to the left of the dealer, post the blinds. This means they put a certain number of chips into the pot. The first player must deposit half a bet, and the second player must post a whole bet. This is just an amount to create a pot. The chips are placed in the middle of the table where all best are placed. This takes the place of the Ante in the typical poker game. The dealer, called the Button, then deals two cards face down to every player. Every player can look at his two hole or pocket cards if they want to. They don’t have to look. This is followed by a round of betting, begun by the player to the left of the player who posted the second blind. If the player thinks he has a good hand, he bets and stays in. If he thinks his hand is not good, he can fold, or drop out. This is called the Pre-Flop round and the amount of the bet is determined by the house rules. If a player thinks he has a good hand, he can raise the bet. Players can bluff. This is when they act like they have a good hand trying to make the other players think they have a good hand. When the betting has ended, the dealer will burn the top card. He then turns three cards face up on the table. This is the Flop, the first three cards of the five that will be common to every player. There is another round of betting that begins with the player to the left of the dealer. Again the players can call, fold or raise, depending on their preferences. When the betting ends, the dealer burns another top card, then turns up one card and places it next to the flop. This card is called the Turn and is followed by another round of betting. When the betting concludes, the dealer burns the top card and turn up the last card called the River, which is placed next to the Turn card. Another round of betting takes place. Throughout this game, players are using all of the available cards to make the best poker hand. They have their two down cards, which nobody but they know, and the five common cards which they combine to make the best hand according to the above rankings. After the final round of betting, the players show their hands by turning up their two face down cards. The player with the best poker hand wins all of the chips in the pot. If there is a tie, the players split the chips in the pot. In the end the player with the most chips is the winner. These are the basic mechanics of Texas Hold ‘em. The art and skill come in knowing how to read the players at the table and to know how and when to bluff. |
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