Texas Hold ’em (or Hold’em, Holdem) is the most popular poker option played in casinos in the United States. The simplicity and popularity of Hold ’em has inspired a wide variety of strategy books that offer recommendations for playing right. The game grew in popularity in the 21st century due to TV, the Internet and popular literature. During this time, Hold ’em replaced all other forms of poker as the most common game in U.S. casinos. Unlimited betting is used on the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and World Poker Tour (WPT), which are widely televised.
Overview
Each player is dealt two private cards (“hole cards” or “pocket cards”), followed by a betting round. Three community cards are then dealt face up (“Flop”), followed by a second round of betting. The fourth community card is dealt face up (“Turn”), followed by a third round of betting. The fifth community card is dealt face up (“River”) and the fourth and final round of betting. In a showdown, each player plays the best possible five-card hand using any five cards from two pocket cards and five community cards (or board cards).
Required accessories
1) Standard 52 card pack (NO JOKERS) $ 3
2) Cash equivalent (usually POKER-CHIPS) $ 5 or more
3) 1-10 willing person (minimum 5) $ irreplaceable
4) “MOVE” button (or equivalent)> $ 1
5) 1 table (large enough to accommodate the so-called “people”. DO NOT USE MIRROR TABLET TOP!) $
Optional accessories
- deck of cards (1 red and 1 blue) $ 3
“Poker Table Top” (adds a “casino” feel) $ 20 or more
Good luck charms
Table
There are typically 2-10 players at the table. Tables with four or fewer players are called “short hands”. When there are only two players, the game is called “Heads Up”.
The first dealer
To start the game, each player deals one card face up; the high card is the first “dealer (D)”. (A high card is an ace followed by; K, Q, J, 10, etc.) The location of a dealer is indicated by a white plastic chip called a button. After each round of play or “hand”, the dealer button rotates to the left (clockwise), ensuring that everyone can play in all locations.
Blinds
Before the cards are dealt, mandatory bets are made, called the “big blind (BB)” and the “small blind” (or small blind). The small blind position is always the seat to the left of the dealer, and the big blind is the seat to the left of the small blind. The number of blinds is predetermined, and the small blind is usually half the big blind.
The flop
The dealer then deals three cards face up. This is called the “Flop”.
These are the first three of five community cards that all players can use with their pocket cards to make the best possible poker hand.
(See the end of this guide on the Standard Poker Hand Rank page.)
Betting; Round 2
After the flop and with each subsequent round of betting, SB works first. SB may choose from the following acts; 1) CHECK without betting anything, 2) BET or 3) TELL.
There is one change in the game decision in this decision: If the players acting before your turn select “Check”, you can do so as well. As before, the betting round ends when all players have folded or paid the last bet or raise, or if all players have “checked”.
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