USA Poker Tournaments

Hold up in Texas

As there are many ways to skin a cat, they are many ways to play poker. There are variants of this old gambling game and perhaps the most easy of these is the Texas Hold'em. For poker beginners, this is the best poker game to start learning.

This variant of poker is the most popular in the United States because of TV and other media exposure. A distinguishing fact on how this game is played is the community cards. These are cards that all players can use. Texas Hold'em can have as low as 2 players to as many as 10 players. Since players are handed 2 cards at the start of play, some say this provides ground for strategic analysis.

The goal of this variant just like all other poker types is to win the pot. The pot is the accumulated bets of all players. It can be won with a showdown where remaining players best each other's hand. Showdown involves creating the best five-card hand with the seven cards made available. A player can also win the pot by forcing other to fold and think otherwise of claiming the pot.

Some say poker is just not about getting the pot but it is a test in making sound mathematical decisions regarding the cards in hand. In such a way players win more rather than losing.

There are small and blind bets in this type of poker. These are called blind because they are forced bets made by two players without knowledge on the cards they are having. So the blind bets are made before players know their hole cards. Antes might be done later in the game. Antes are contributions made by all players that are added to the pot.

A dealer button represents the player as dealer. Dealer button is transferred from one player to the next in clockwise fashion after each hand. To the left of the dealer, a player posts the small blind. The small bind is half of the big blind. To the left of the small blind is the big blind equivalent to the minimum bet.

At the start of the game each player is given two hole cards that they are allowed to see and use. On the first round, three additional cards are placed on the middle to everyone to see and anyone can use to make their hand. No one is to physically pick them up. Again these cards are dubbed community cards.

The whole game is divided into four rounds. Turns follow a clockwise pattern with dealer as point of reference. Player creates their hand from a mixture of hole and community cards. Rounds of betting will ensure until players fold.

When the fifth community card is placed on the table and there are still players left, a showdown is called. Here the remaining players best each others hands. The best of the best gets the pot. In case of tie, they split the pot.