Texas Hold ‘em Poker (Part 1)

Written by Nigel

In this series of poker variations, I decided to begin with what many would consider the most popular form of poker today – Texas Hold ‘em Poker.  First things first, does this poker variant really originate from Texas?  It is perhaps a silly and irrelevant question but I just had to ask it.  The answer is yes – at least to a large number of people.  Yet the truth is, there is no evidence of it real origin.  In any case, that is not important now, as Texas Hold ‘em is played all over the world.

What is your goal when playing Texas Hold ‘em Poker?  Much like other poker variants, your ultimate aim is to win the pot.  That is, the pile of money in the middle of the table, which is comprised of the bets of all the players.  How does one win the pot?  By forming the best hand out of the community cards and the cards in one’s hand.  There are 5 community cards, which we will discuss more later.

Normally, Texas Hold ‘em is played with big and small blinds.  A dealer button is also used to indicate the dealer.  This is passed around the table in a clockwise fashion after each hand is played.  The position of the blinds rotate along with the dealer.

This poker variant has its own three sub-variants – limit, no limit, and pot-limit.  The most popular of the three is limit hold ‘em, which we can usually play in casinos.  TV shows and the WSOP feature no limit hold ‘em.

(more next time)