All About Texas Holdem
So, you're interested in the game of Texas Holdem? Well, you're not the only one, Texas Holdem is fast becoming a
national passtime in the United States, and Texas Holdem's growing popularity extends to Canada, the UK, and the rest of
Europe! Texas Holdem is the most popular form of poker today.
You've come to the right place, FlopTurnRiver.com is all about Texas Holdem,
whether you're looking for:
Texas Holdem strategies,
Texas Holdem lingo,
Texas Holdem rules,
information on starting hands,
where to play Texas Holdem online for free or real money,
Texas Holdem in the Los Angeles or Las Vegas casinos,
poker chips or
Texas Holdem poker tables,
Texas Holdem poker books,
or if you're just looking for a
Texas Holdem Poker Forum to have discussions,
FlopTurnRiver.com is the site for you, offering all this plus much, much more.
Brief Background on Texas Holdem
Well, if we start from the beginning, poker's true roots are disputed, but a popular belief is that the game was imported to the US
from French fur traders and explorers in the 19th century. While its origins are not truly known for sure, it is likely that
poker is a direct descendant from the Persian game As Nas. The first known direct reference to "poker" was made in New Orleans
around 1830. The game of poker spread up and down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers on steamboats, and eventually all over via the
railroads. Poker gained infamy among cowboys on the Western frontier.
Texas Holdem gained popularity from the World Series of Poker. The first WSOP was held in 1970 in conjunction with the opening
of Benny Binion's Horseshoe Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas. Originally an "invitation only" tournament, the event
featured 12 top poker players participating in various poker games among themselves for a few weeks. At the end of the competition,
the players voted on who the best was among them, and Johnny Moss was named the first WSOP champion. In 1971, the tournament
switched to the current freeze-out style in which the winner is the last player standing. Johnny Moss won again in 1971. In 1972,
the World Series of Poker was won by Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston. Throughout the years, the World Series of Poker would gain
momentum, and Texas Holdem slowly gained notice and popularity. However, nothing would prepare the poker world for what happened
in 2003. Over 800 players participated in the No Limit Texas Holdem WSOP main event, a new record (by far) that guaranteed the winner
the enormous prize of $2.5 million.
Not coincidentally, this is the same time that internet poker began it's own rise in popularity, particularly online Texas Holdem.
The 2003 WSOP champion was Chris
Moneymaker, an online poker player that qualified for the tournament through the online poker room,
. The 2004 WSOP main event champion was
Greg Raymer, also an online poker player that qualified through
.
Not only was online poker making it's mark in the poker world, but Hollywood played a big part in making Texas Holdem a household
game. In March of 2003, the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel debuted, putting Texas Holdem poker in the mainstream. The WPT would
instanty become a smash hit and draw record rating for the Travel Channel. ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker also
helped put Texas Holdem in the forefront. Numerous other poker airings would hit the airwaves, including Celebrity Poker on
Bravo and many televised Texas Holdem tournaments on Fox Sports and ESPN. Texas Holdem has now become part of the American mainstream
culture!
How to Play Texas Holdem - Texas Holdem Rules
The rules for Texas Holdem are quite simple. I'll quickly summarize the rules of Texas Holdem below, but if you'd like a more
comprehensive explanation, check out our detailed
Texas Holdem Rules section.
The game is usually played on a 10 person table, but can be played with any number
less than 10. The game of Texas Holdem starts like this: the dealer button is established - this player
does not actually deal, but he will be the last player to act on three of the four betting rounds. This is the
best position to be in because you get to act last for most of the game, meaning that you have the
opportunity to see how all the players
will act before it is your turn, which is vital information. To the left of the dealer is the "small blind", this player
must post half the amount of the blind - which is a dollar amount depending on the stakes of the table. To the left
of the small blind is the "big blind", who must post the full blind dollar amount. For example, if you are playing $1-2
limit Texas Holdem game, the small blind must put down $.50 and the big blind must place $1.00 on the table before
anything happens. This is how the poker game starts.
Now, once the blinds are established, each player is dealt two cards face down. These are referred to as your
"hole cards". You can view your cards and then determine if you want to play. The action rotates around the table,
this first starts with the player to the left of the big blind, this position is often referred to as UTG for "Under the Gun".
This player decides whether he wants to play his hand, and if so, must match or raise the big blind amount. In our
example of a $1-2 game, the player must place a bet of $1.00 or more to stay in the game, or fold his cards. The action
continues around the table, to the dealer, the small blind, and finally, the big blind. The big blind may not have
to put anymore money on the table if the pot is not raised, since he already has a $1.00 put in. This is the first
round of betting, and the only round of betting where the big blind position is last to act. All subsequent betting rounds
ends with the player on the dealer button. If this is a $1-2 limit Texas Holdem game, then all bets or raises on this round
are $1.
After this initial round of betting, three cards are placed on the board, at the same time, face-up.
This is called the "Flop". The second round of betting ensues, starting with the small blind position and ending with the
dealer position. Again the bets on this round would be $1 in a $1-2 holdem game.
After the betting on the flop, the "Turn" card is dealt on the board. Now there are 4 cards on the board and two in your
hand. The third round of betting begins, again starting with the small blind position and ending with the dealer position. Now,
if you are playing a $1-2 limit Texas Holdem game, this is when the big bet, $2, kicks in. From here on out, all bets
or raises are always exactly $2.
Finally, the fifth and final card is dealt on the board, the "River" card, and the fourth and final round of betting ensues.
At the end of the betting, the players will show their two hole cards, and the best 5 of the possible 7 cards determines
the winner. The rules dictate that you may choose to use one, both, or none of you hole cards, whichever makes you the best poker hand.
Those are the rules of Texas Holdem in a nut shell. There are three types of Texas Holdem games which have slightly
different betting rules:
Limit Texas Holdem (there is a specific betting limit applied in each game)
Pot Limit Texas Holdem (A player can bet what is in the pot)
No Limit Texas Holdem (A player can bet all of his/her chips at any time)
Each version of the game requires subtle changes to your strategy - studying, practice, and experience will help you
determine which game is best for you. Visit our
Texas Holdem Rules section
to learn more details about Texas Holdem poker rules.
Texas Holdem - Texas Holdem Strategies
While Texas Holdem is a pretty simple to learn and play, the strategies to become a winning player are much more complicated. Most
of FlopTurnRiver is dedicated to helping you develop
winning Texas Holdem strategies. The first decision to make when playing Texas Holdem is which table to sit down at!
Check out our Table Selection Strategy.
The second decision in Texas Holdem is what two cards to play and how. Be sure to read our
starting hand essays.
And, of course, our
Texas Holdem Poker Forum
has tons of strategic discussions that are sure to help anyone's game.
Texas Holdem - Texas Holdem Online
Online poker has been the fastest growing segment of the online gambling industry over the last year and a half.
The internet/online poker boom has been phenomenal, and all trends point to further growth.
According to some sources, the online poker industry has grown by a rate of 600% in the last year!
Most of the major poker professionals have accepted and adopted the online poker medium. These top
professionals now endorse online poker rooms and actually play in the online poker rooms. Chris "Jesus"
Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Erik Seidel, John Juanda, Phil Gordon, Andy Bloch, and Erick
Lindgren endorse
,
Gus Hansen recently opened his own online poker room with
,
Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Antonio Esfandiari, and David "Devilfish" Ulliot endorse
,
Mike Sexton and Shana Hiatt are spokespeople for
Doyle Brunson opened up
his own online poker room franchise with Doyle's Room, and the list goes on.
Today, driven largely by the US, online poker is close to a $2 billion industry.
The online poker leader is
,
which commands almost half of the entire online poker industry.
However, there is plenty of action to be had at many of the online poker rooms, since the influx
of new online poker players continues to increase. The number of real money online poker players is increasing
by as much as 100,000 each month.
Online Texas Holdem is a safe and fun adventure. Playing Texas Holdem online is a great way to practice your Texas Holde'm poker skills,
whether for play money or real money, and gain valuable Holdem experience. You can play single table Texas Holdem tournaments,
huge, multi-table Texas Holdem tournaments, and Texas Holdem ring/cash games at all different stakes. The experience is invaluable, and
a lot of fun!
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