Global Sports: Some Tips On Playing Texas Hold'em Poker

Monday, November 8, 2010

Some Tips On Playing Texas Hold'em Poker

By Thomas Kearns

For some time Texas Hold'em has held its own as the most popular poker game of them all for beginners and experts alike. This is undoubtedly due to the ease of learning the game because of its simple rules. But the easy part stops here and the reason for its appeal to all levels of players becomes clear. The strategies in Texas Hold'em are so complex and sophisticated that it can take a player decades to conquer them, and maybe not even then. So for you newcomers just starting to learn and those of you are more than beginners looking to improve your skills, I offer this brief outline of the game's central core.

Texas Hold'em Poker Configuration

A maximum of ten players can play in a Texas Hold'em game and the dealer is sometimes chosen by the draw and the high card gets the deal and sometimes the house simply designates a dealer. Whichever, the dealer is in the button position or last to play, which makes it a much sought after position to be in. The first to play and therefore, to bet, is the small blind, the player next to the dealer and this player begins by anteing 50% of the limit of the game, then comes the big blind, followed by all remaining players. The button is sought after as he who plays last has the opportunity of seeing everyone else's raises and re-raises, or lack thereof, and can get a nice picture of his opponent's hands by doing so.

In limit poker, the players can call, fold or raise on the ante bet up to the house limit while in no-limit they can do the same depending on how much they want to invest in their hand. Even in no-limit though, it is not rare to encounter a house limit of three raises per betting round. Also with the no-limit format, a player can go all in raising the bet to the extent of his current stack and pot-limit allows players to raise to the extent of the value of the cash in the pot.

Usually the player new to the game will start out with limit poker, then as he gains experience and expertise will move on to the no-limit games. Interestingly, should all players but one fold on a raise, that remaining player "wins blind" and takes the pot no matter what he is holding in his hand. Should this not be the case, the winner is the holder of the best 5-card hand assembled from his hole cards and the community cards. The rankings of the hands are as follows from highest to lowest: royal straight flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, and a pair and a high card.

The Play of the Game

A round of betting starts the game with a flop to show the table the community cards. Before the flop though, the players bet on only their hole cards. At this point, the players have the option to fold, call or raise to the limit the particular game allows. In any case, the strongest starter hand would be a pair of aces, while the weakest is an unsuited 2-7.

After the dealer shows the players the three community cards in the flop, the next round of betting ensues with the small blind being the first to take action. Next betting round shows the fourth card, the turn, and lastly comes the fifth or river card. Now its showdown time where the best 5-card hand from the player's hand in combo with the community cards wins the pot, unless of course, all opponents folded and he is the winner regardless of his hand.

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment