Tag: texas holdem

How Texas Hold’em Became the Most Popular Form of Poker

Posted on by Narciso Baldo

The Most Popular Form of Poker

Like it or not, but Texas Hold’em holds its status of being the most popular form of Poker for decades. Any Poker enthusiasts will find a suitable room with a legendary Texas Hold’em in virtually any online casino. Even though dozens of other game rules of Poker exist, such as Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, 3-Card Poker, and Pai Gow, Texas Hold’em stands out the most. This variation is the most popular poker game for a reason. If you have always been wondering what makes this game variation so recognisable, this article well educate why. We will look at the most compelling arguments why Texas Hold’em isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Overview and History

We won’t explain the game rules of Texas Hold’em since it is the easiest and the most accessible variation of poker, even for newcomers. Yet, you might have an interest in finding out how it originated in the United States and worldwide. Considering the name, Texas was the place where poker enthusiasts of the early 1900s were experimenting with the game rules. According to historiographic sources, the first-ever documented games took place in Robstown, Texas, in the early 1900s.

Even though this game originated in Texas, it was soon becoming more popular in the 1960s in Las Vegas. This variation became a big part of the poker scene amid the gambling boom in Las Vegas. For active gamblers of that time, having a session of Texas Hold’em in the Golden Nugget casino was a usual endeavour. Now you know the origins of this game, let’s analyse the main reasons that made Texas Hold’em so popular globally.

Accessible Rules

Unlike dozens of other Poker variations, Texas Hold’em is a game that makes it easy for newcomers to enjoy. Its set of game rules are simple, and the fundamentals of dealing cards, forming combinations, and winning is convenient too. Thanks to the ease of starting a Texas Hold’em session, it has gained the status of being a game that is “easy to start, hard to master.”

In addition to being easy for for newcomers, the game has intuitive game rules. There are clearly outlined scenarios of what to do in each specific game situation. Those who have some experience with playing professional poker will also consider a range of mathematical factors. For instance, Texas Hold’em has a total of 169 starting hand combinations. Compare that with Omaha Hi-Lo that features more than 16,000 various starting hand combinations. Sounds simpler and transparent, don’t you think?

Media Attention and Broadcasting Accessibility

Thanks to the relative ease of playing Texas Hold’em, broadcasting this game variation is straightforward. In comparison, try imagining a TV broadcast of Omaha Hi-Lo, 3-card Poker, or Razz. These game variations, due to their more complex and complicated strategy rules, have game nuances that are problematic to explain to the viewers. Have you have ever watched poker broadcast on TV or on the Web? You’d remember that the screen compiles all necessary details concurrently. Since only two hole cards are dealt in Texas Hold’em, the audience can easily understand what is going on on the screen. In recent years, streaming poker on specialised services, such as Twitch or YouTube, has also become popular. It’s easy to understand why broadcasting and streaming of Texas Hold’em is the number one choice.

Other notable reasons that made media attention and broadcasting of this game variation so popular is a dazzling array of tournaments. Those enthusiasts watching Texas Hold’em on TV can take a look at WSOP, WPT, EPT, and other leagues. The same goes for amateurs who are looking for new online casinos NZ . It might be a bit tough to find a top- notch casino with dozens of tournaments for players, alongside having a low minimum deposit. For your convenience, you should read respective reviews of those new online gambling sites. Once you made your mind up, make a small deposit and join a Texas Hold’em tournament, just like the pros on TV!

Brand

It is no surprise that thousands of individuals who have never tried playing table games associate Texas Hold’em with poker itself. In other words, people don’t even know that other game variations exist. Consider tracking tournaments and leagues dedicated to other rules of poker. Even though dozens of tournaments dedicated to game rules exist, you will struggle to find the same prize pools as in Texas Hold’em leagues.

One of the most representative features that made Texas Hold’em popular once and forever was the triumph of Chris Moneymaker at the 2003 WSOP Main Event. Chris managed to win approximately $2.5 million in prize money , eventually making it a great driver for the popularisation of Poker. Other new players who managed to win WSOP and other titles only cemented the brand of Texas Hold’em as the most popular poker game.

The trend for becoming a pro player is associated with Texas Hold’em even now. Even for casual players that tend to make for living with poker, sticking to this game variation is wise. You’ll have plenty of tournaments to choose from, whereas the list of available leagues for amateurs will exceed your expectations.

Summary

Keeping in mind that Texas Hold’em is still the most popular poker variation. Even now, the mentioned reasons represent why this game became so widespread. The best thing about Texas Hold’em is that it is easy to learn, making it accessible for all online poker ​newcomers. In addition to easy rules and intuitive design, it is the game most suitable for TV broadcasting and live streaming. The final argument is that Texas Hold’em has become a brand that is associated poker, as a whole. These three reasons makes Texas Hold’em a game that won’t go anywhere for years to come and is the number one game to play.

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How to Play Texas Holdem

Posted on by Narciso Baldo

Texas Holdem is often described as the “Cadillac” of poker games and has skyrocketed in popularity since Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker in 2003.  A game of skill, psychology and sheer guts, Hold’em is very easy to learn but takes a long time to master since there are so many intricacies of the game that can’t be taught by reading, only by playing like the UTG position of the cards.  Unlike other forms of poker, Hold’em is quite unique in that unlike traditional games like Draw poker the range of hand possibilities is greatly increased.  This means that there is a lot more action in the game and much more strategizing on what your opponent holds and whether or not they are bluffing a particular hand.  In this article we will teach you how to play Texas Holdem with an overview including the rules, tips about how to play online, best starting hands and maximizing your starting bankroll.

The Rules of the Game

  • Hold’em is played at a table typically with as little as 2 and as many as 10 players
  • During each round, a player is designated as the dealer (rotates clockwise around the table) and the play immediately to the left of the dealer is known as the small blind, and the player to their left is known as the big blind
  • When a round begins, both the small and big blinds must post which means they will start out the pot at whatever limit the game is, for example $1/$2, $5/$10 and so on
  • At this point, each player in the game is dealt two cards which are known as “hole cards”
  • After all players at the table have their hole cards, the action is on the player immediately to the left of the big blind, who can fold, call (put in chips equal to the big blind), or make a raise
  • Action continues around the table until it reaches the big blind who can check (if there has been no raises), fold if their have been or raise if they want to increase the size of the pot
  • At this point, the dealer will deal 3 community cards onto the table known as the “Flop”
  • Another round of betting commences with the remaining players in the hand until either everyone folds and there is one winner, it’s checked around the table or a raise is called
  • After this, the dealer deals another single card known as the “Turn” onto the table
  • Another betting round commences and if there are still players left the game proceeds
  • At this point, the final card is dealt into the community cards known as the “River”
  • There is now 5 community cards on the table as well as 2 hole cards that the players were originally dealt at the beginning of the hand
  • Another round of betting commences and if any players remain after this betting round there is a “showdown” and players must expose the two hole cards they have in their hand
  • These two cards are evaluated against the 5 community cards to make the best 5 card poker hand and whoever has the highest ranked hand is determined to be the winner of that game
  • In Texas Hold’em, players don’t have to use both hole cards, for example if the table had the cards Ace, Ace, Ace, King, Queen and the players hole cards were Ace, 2 – the end result hand would be 4 of a kind (Aces) for this player with a King high

Limit vs. No-Limit

There are two basic types of Texas Holdem that are typically played amongst players including Limit and No-Limit.  As the names suggest, Limit Poker places a maximum wager that the player can place during each betting round.  For example, in a $5/$10 limit game, in each betting round the player can only raise in increments of $5 on the flop and $10 on the turn and river up to a maximum of 4 times, with additional raising not allowed during play.  Conversely, in No-Limit Poker, players are free to bet between the minimum blinds up to their entire chip stack at any point during the game.  Because of the bigger pots and potential of more profitability with No-Limit it’s become much more popular than Limit which use to be the game of choice in the early days of poker.

About Playing Online

With the advent of online poker, both Limit and NL Texas Holdem really took off and there are tens of thousands of players online each and everyday taking a shot at the cash games. Playing online is a great way to learn the game since all of the poker sites offer free versions of their software where you can learn the rules and hone your skills before playing for real money. The online sites also offer bonuses when you sign up, usually 100% match on your first deposit up to a certain amount, which is a great way to get some extra bang for your buck and increase your bankroll. Another major advantage of playing online is the ability to multi-table, something you can’t do in a casino, which means you can open more than one game or tournament at once and get a lot more hands in than you would at a traditional land based poker game.

Why Texas Hold ‘Em Is The Best Poker Variant

Posted on by Narciso Baldo

If you’ve ever picked up a history book or played Red Dead Redemption you’ll be aware of the origins of poker. The globally popular card game was born in 19th century America and has truly stood the test of time.

Since the games invention there have been a number of variant on gameplay, the most popular of which was developed in Robstown Texas in the early years of the 20th century.

Texas Hold ‘Em is widely regarded as the pinnacle of poker as it test players’ mathematical and psychological capabilities as well as their card skills. In this article we delve down into the history of the game in an attempt to understand how, and why it became the world’s most popular poker variant.



(Poker has come a long way from how it was depicted in Western movies.)

Texas Hold ‘Em: The Beginnings

When poker was first played in 19th century America, players were dealt five cards which they could then bet on. As the betting progressed, players could swap cards from their hand with what remained of the deck.

The round would then conclude with a showdown in which the player with the best hand would win the pot. Whilst this variant was fairly fast-paced and accessible, it didn’t really reward skill and clever gameplay.

Nowadays this variant is considered so basic that it is rarely ever played in casinos and is usually limited to home games and video poker terminals.

So even in the early days of poker there was an obvious need for a more complex and nuanced variant. Texas Hold ‘Em was the answer that everyone was waiting for.

Texas Hold ‘Em starting hands were the first difference, with players only being dealt two cards. In addition to this, five community cards were dealt face up which players could use in conjunction with their cards to build a winning hand. Unlike the original variant of poker, Texas Hold ‘Em forced players to think explicitly about their opponents hands. A thorough understanding of the game was needed, along with a strong mental resolve as the concept of bluffing soon began to rise in popularity.

How Was Texas Hold ‘Em Received?

Initially many viewed Texas Hold ‘Em with suspicion and continued to play the original poker variant. Slowly but surely, the game did begin to grow in popularity and use, however that growth was mainly confined to the state of Texas.

For one reason or another, Texas Hold ‘Em seemed to be enjoyed only by Texans. That was until 1963 when a man with one of the most Texan names in history – Corky McCorquodale – introduced the game to the gambling Mecca of Las Vegas.

For the better part of a decade the Golden Nugget casino was the only place to play Texas Hold ‘Em in Las Vegas. When large crowds started turning up at the Nugget, other casinos cottoned onto the popularity of the variant and began offering it to their own customers.

The biggest moment in the history of Texas Hold ‘Em would come in 1970, when it was adopted as the official variant of the inaugural World Series of Poker, which it has remained as ever since.

This exposure catapulted the variant into the limelight and it soon became the most well-known and played poker variant throughout the world.

How To Play Texas Hold ‘Em

Like all variants of poker, Texas Hold ‘Em is based on the original card combinations with a pair beating a high card and a straight beating a three of a kind and so on. The community style of Texas Hold ‘Em, in which five cards are publically placed on the table, allows you ample chances to build a winning hand.

However, a good hand is not always a guarantee of winning when it comes to Texas Hold ‘Em. The four betting chances give your opponents the chance to potentially bully you through large, ever increasing bets, vice versa, it allows you to do the same.

Therefore the key to Texas Hold ‘Em is interpreting the community cards and working out the possible combinations that they could offer to your opponents. If you can do this relatively successfully, you will be able to see through bullying and bluffing tactics and ultimately win more hands than you lose.

A good understanding of basic human psychology is almost as necessary as a solid knowledge of poker hands and cards. That after all, is what makes the game so fun to play and watch.

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