Texas Hold'em

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Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is by far the most popular version of poker as of this writing and that doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon, rather Texas Hold'em just seems to be getting more popular with more and more people wanting to know how to play.

Probably the main reason why Texas Hold'em has been so ascendant is because it is such a simple game to learn. Of course, the simplicity of the game is entirely deceptive; basketball is a simple game, too, but that doesn't mean you can beat Kobe Bryant one-on-one.

Because Texas Hold'em is so seemingly simple, millions of people learn the game each year, making competition at the top or even the medium levels of the game quite deadly for mediocre players. With this in mind, please realize that it's not enough to merely know how to play Texas Hold'em, but instead you must know how to play Texas Hold'em well if you are to succeed. Nevertheless, a firm footing in the basics of the game is essential for all players.

The basics of how to play Texas Hold'em are pretty basic, so let's get right to it. The action of the game can be neatly divided into three discrete sections:

1. Before the Flop

Firstly, players must post "blinds" to start off the pot and entice other players to bet. Blinds are bets that are made before any cards are dealt. The obligation to post blinds passes around the table from right to left with each player taking turns having to contribute this initial bet.

Customarily there is a big blind and a small blind. If you are playing $10/$20 Limit Hold'em, the small blind is on the hook to throw in $10 and the big blind puts in $20.

Each player at the table is then dealt two cards face down, these are called hole cards.

There are three major betting structures for Texas Hold'em: limit, pot limit, and no limit. In Limit Hold'em, the amount you can bet at one time is limited, in Pot Limit Hold'em you can bet any amount up to what's in the pot, and in No Limit Hold'em there is, you guessed it, no limit.

Moving right along: each player looks at his or her hole cards, and then the betting begins.

Betting moves from right to left, concluding with the player who is the dealer, this last position is called "the button." This player may actually be the dealer in home games, or in casinos the button position is passed around, again from right to left, following each hand.

2. The Flop

Now comes the fun part of Texas Hold'em: the flop. The dealer, that is, now flops over three cards which then become "community cards" that any player can access to make his or her hand. Another round of betting and folding takes place on the basis of who got a piece of the flop, otherwise known as who "improved."

Texas Hold'em common wisdom says that you either "fit or fold" after you see the flop, meaning that you either have a hand or you don't. While simplistic and like all things in poker totally dependent on the situation, this is generally sound strategy because after you see the flop, you've seen 71 percent of your hand, so if you got nothing now, maybe wait for the next hand. Unlike in Seven Card Stud where hands take a long time, the next Hold'em hand comes quick.

3. After the Flop

Once it has gone around the table for the post-flop betting, the dealer turns over another community card that's aptly called "the turn." So now there are six cards to work with for all remaining players who have not folded: The players' two hole cards, plus four community cards.

Another round of betting ensues. Players can check, raise, call, re-raise, and so on. Multiple rounds of betting can happen, with players raising and re-raising until all the bets are evened out. Often the allowable betting limits are increased after the turn to induce more action.

Now it's time for "the river," one final climactic community card that the dealer reveals. The river can of course make or break your hand (as well as the hand of your opponents) and therefore it's one of the most dramatic moments in all of poker. Post-river, players who have not folded construct in their mind their best five card poker hand using their two hole cards and the five community cards that are now visible for all to see.

Another, final round of betting occurs, and as you can imagine this is where Texas Hold'em really gets exciting, as players raise and bluff with aggression vying for the built-up pot.

Once the final round of betting is over, it's time to "showdown" the hands. Players flip over their hole cards and the best five card poker hand takes the money in the middle of the table. Sometimes, if players have equal hands, the pot is split. Another important side note would be that if one player runs out of chips (goes all in) during the course of a Hold'em hand, a separate pot is created for the players who continue betting--the all in player would then only be eligible to win the part of the pot up to his or her all in amount.

If you don't yet comprehend how to play Texas Hold'em after reading this article, there is an easy solution that should get you up and running in no time:

Sign up for a free money poker account and play a few hands. You'll pick this game up quickly, anyone can and that's why it seems like most everyone is.