| Texas HoldEm Basics |
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Texas Hold’em Basics If you are planning to become a dedicated poker player – especially online – then you’d better learn Texas Hold’em. This is, after all, the most popular poker variant online. Some people, I’m sure, would tell you that one cannot be a truly seasoned poker player until one learns to play and excel in Texas Hold’em. The Hands In Texas Hold’em, the same card combinations and orders apply. The Royal Flush – suited and numerically consecutive with an Ace high card – is still the best hand there is. This is followed by the Straight Flush – suited, numerically consecutive but does not have an Ace high card. The Full House is next (three of a kind plus two of a kind), then comes the Flush – suited but not consecutive cards. Following the Flush is the Straight which is a five-card combination of numerically consecutive, unsuited cards. After the Straight comes the Three of a Kind (three cards have the same value), the Two Pairs (obviously two sets of two cards with the same value) and the Single Pair (a pair of cards having the same value). The Dealer Everyone gets to be the dealer in a Texas Hold’em table. The player who gets to be dealer in a hand of poker is indicated by the ‘buck’ or the dealer button. The dealer is in charge of shuffling the cards and distributing them. The Blinds In Texas Hold’em, two players are the blinds. All players at the table would become the blinds sooner or later. The small blind is the player immediately to the left of the dealer, and he is required to put in an amount that is half of the minimum bet for the table. The player seated to the small blind’s left is required to post the minimum bet; he is called the big blind obviously because he contributes more money than the small blind. The Hole Cards In Texas Hold’em, each player is dealt two hole cards or pocket cards which the players may use in their final hand at the showdown (if they survive that far, that is). These hole cards are dealt face-down so they remain secret until the showdown. The Board Cards There are three board cards or community cards (they belong to and can be used by every one of the players) which will be used by the players to form their card combinations. The board cards are revealed by the dealer one by one at the flop, at the turn and at the river, each of which comes after a betting round. |
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