How to Play Texas Hold Em

January 11th, 2011 -- Posted in Play Poker | No Comments »

Texas Hold Em is probably the most well known poker game on the planet, thanks in part to the publicity it’s received courtesy of the World Series of Poker Tournament that runs on ESPN every year, and because many of the well-known names in poker are also frequently seen promoting this particular brand of poker.

Because of this popularity, many people are learning how to play texas hold em, both at home with friends, and for real money in casinos and online games. It’s a fun game to learn, and if you know how poker hands are evaluated, then learning how to play texas hold em is simple.

The Deal & Pre-Flop

At the start of each hand, the players buy in with a big and small blind, which rotates around the table. The dealer will deal two cards, face down, to each player, at which point betting begins. As typical with most poker betting rounds, players can call, bet, check, raise, and fold, depending on the action.

The Flop

Once the betting has ended, the dealer will burn a card and deal himself three cards, face up. This is followed by another round of betting.

The Turn

The dealer burns another card and deals another to himself, face up. The players bet again.

The River

The dealer burns a card and deals the fifth to finalize his hand. Players are now playing with five dealer cards, and their own hand. They can take the best five to make their best hand. At this point, the showdown occurs, and players can bet/check/call/fold as necessary until everyone is out, or the players have a “showdown” and reveal their cards. Winner takes the pot, except in the case of a tie.

When you’re learning how to play Texas Hold Em, you might get caught up on the way big and small blinds work, so to answer it simply, they rotate around the table just like the leading better position does. A small blind is half the big blind, so if the big blind is $10, then the small blind is $5. In some games, the blinds increase in order to speed up play and force players to make a move. This typically happens in high stakes tournaments.

Beyond these simple rules, Texas Hold Em is scored just like any other game, and once you learn the basics, you can jump right in and play with the best of them. Just be careful with your chips!

Play Poker Online

August 30th, 2010 -- Posted in Play Poker | No Comments »

Learning how to play poker is a great way to pass the time or even make a bit of extra money, but the problem is that playing home games is much different than playing with real competition. This is why many people play poker online as a first step before going to casinos to test their game.

When you play poker online, you get to choose from a variety of poker games, such as Omaha, Texas Hold Em, Stud and Draw games, and in some cases, mixed games, which means you can play with several variants to see where your strong suit might be.

Another benefit when you play poker online is that you can start with free money so that you can get used to the playing environment. Once you do deposit money, you have the option to play for much lower stakes than you would at a casino, often times being able to play for a nickel or less!

Though you can make money when you play poker online, the way to do it isn’t necessarily playing in tournaments or playing in one game at a time. As many online poker professionals will tell you, the secret to winning at poker online is in playing table games in multiple sessions. Most professionals play poker online with up to twelve games going on simultaneously.

Obviously, the key to building your bank is to stay calm and avoid going on tilt, especially because it’s so easy to ramp up the stakes when you aren’t physically holding real chips.

Where to Play Poker Online

There are many places that offer online poker games, though it has become more difficult to find them in the United States than it is in other parts of the world. Still, you can find them if you look hard enough.

If you’re just looking to play for free, then you should have no problem finding hundreds of places to play poker online, so I recommend trying several before picking a favorite. Many have software that you can download to make the experience even more realistic.

Playing poker online really is a fun way to pass the time, especially if you can convince a few of your friends to sign up with you. With so many game types to play, it’s nearly impossible to get bored, and there’s always a crowd – most are open 24/7.