The basics of online Texas Hold'em for those just beginning their online poker playing adventure!
TEXAS HOLD'EM BASICS
For the benefit of everyone whose online poker career is commencing today, here are the basics of the Internet´s most popular card game: Texas Hold´em. (Ed: Here's an article ontexas holdem history.)
IN THE BEGINNING Before any cards are dealt the first two players on the dealer´s left must post “blind bets” to ensure that action is encouraged from other players at the table. These bets are known as the small and large “blinds”. In a $10-$20 game of Hold´em the small blind will be $5 and the big blind $10. Two cards are then dealt face down to each player. These are known as hole cards. A round of betting follows. The first round of betting requires each player to either raise the blind bet or call. Alternatively they must fold. At completion of the first round of betting three community cards will be dealt face- up on the table, known as the “flop”. This action is then followed by another round of betting. Texas Hold´em requires the player to form his or her best possible five card hand by using the hidden hole cards plus any three other cards from the flop and the fourth and fifth face-up cards which follow the flop, known respectively as the “turn” and the “river”. Collectively, these five face-up community cards on the table are known as the “board”.
Following the flop another round of betting precedes the “turn” and the “river” cards which complete the five face-up communal cards.
During these rounds of betting players can either check, if nobody ahead of them has placed a bet, or if there is a bet, a player can either raise, re-raise, call or fold. In summary, a player is required to form the best five card hand possible using any combination of the two hole cards and five exposed community cards at centre table.
In doing so he or she is by no means necessarily going to win the game. The beauty of Texas Hold´em strategy is that cunning, bluffing, aggression and experience all play their part in the end result.
You will find an excellent tutorial for this seductive game at dailystarpoker.com along with a choice of the whole range of poker offshoots, including Omaha 8, Red Dog and Seven Card Stud etc.
SOME SIMPLE HOLD'EM POINTERS
Your first two concealed cards are critical when you are starting out at Hold´em. A high pair or an ace-king, ace-queen or ace-jack or two same-suit, close-connected cards, like ten and jack of spades, are all good starting twosomes. Unlike stud poker, over seventy per cent of your hand is really made clear by the three card flop. If your hand isn´t looking good by the flop, you need to be out of the game.
