Texas Holdem

Texas Hold'Em: The Popular

Hold’em is certainly the most popular style of poker, by far. It is played around the world every day, on dozens of Web sites and in many live poker rooms. Millions of dollars change hands at both virtual tables and casino tables, as players from all over the globe try their luck.

Easy To Learn, Hard To Master

It’s a basic game, with some slight differences from 7-card stud. Hold’em is, in fact, quite easy to learn. But, as experienced players know, it takes a lifetime to master any form of poker. Players are dealt two cards face down and a round of betting takes place. Three cards are dealt face up on the center of the table (the flop), followed by another round of betting. A fourth card is dealt face up (the turn), followed by another round of betting. A fifth card is dealt (the river) and a final round of betting takes place.

Players make the best five-card hand they can using their two hold cards and the five cards on the table. These five are “community” cards or “the board” and are available to all players. This is the major difference between Texas Hold’em and many other forms of poker. Reading the board and determining how it fits with your hand is important. Trying to figure out how it fits with the hands of other players is crucial.

Basic Tips for Texas Holdem

Some other basics of Hold’em that players should understand:

• Blinds – first two players to the left of the dealer must post a small blind and a big blind. These are forced bets intended to get the betting started and vary from game to game.
• Button – This indicates the dealer position, which rotates around the table clockwise, moving with the blinds
• Betting limits – can vary from small ($1 to no limit)

These basic guidelines do little to tell us what Hold’em is all about. One top player, Dan Harrington, emphasizes that all poker is a betting/people game. The cards are just used to keep track of where each player stands. This is definitely the case with Texas Hold’em. As you start on your learning path in Hold’em, remember it’s not really about the cards.

Texas Hold’em: The Next Step

As Texas Hold’em became the most popular version of poker over the past decade or so, thousands of players have jumped into the ring with intentions of winning big. Some have managed to make money at the poker table but the majority of players who planned to make a good living with cards and chips were disappointed.

Some of the winning players made the transition from kitchen table 7-card stud or another form of stud played in local poker games. Others had never played poker before and were dedicated enough to learn Hold’em and stay with it until they made a profit.

The People Game

In either case, it’s a safe bet that the successful players found Hold’em to be a people game and put just as much emphasis on this as on the cards dealt to them. Beyond learning the rank of hands and how to play certain combinations in specific situations, winning Texas Hold’em players have to focus on what the other players do in the blinds, in mid-position and in late position. Winning players have to have some skill and knowledge in bluffing and reading “tells.” (Tells are the unintentional signals other players give to an observant poker player.)

Of course, there’s a bit of luck involved in being a winning player. When a novice sits down with accomplished players, luck has to be figured in when the beginner comes out on top. Call the luck of the draw or whatever you want, it happens. At the professional level and in higher-stakes games there is still some luck involved. But the most experienced and fearless players will do best in these situations.

What to Do Next

Assuming that a player knows how Texas Hold’em is played and can quickly assess the strength of his own hand by reading the flop, turn and river, it’s time to practice some of the crucial skills. Here are a few of the key elements to focus on.

• Position: Understand that when you have to act in relation to the other players is very important. Poker is a game of information. When you get to bet last you are doing so with a lot more information about what the others have done.
• Starting hands: Players rarely get premium hands or above-average starting hands. Learn which hands should be played in which table positions.
• Aggressive play: Know yourself and how comfortable you will be with playing aggressively. Getting in the lead on betting and raising at the correct time are essential to Hold’em success.
• Know your players: Understand their betting patterns, their overall approach to the game etc.

This isn’t all you need but it’s a good start.