Posted in Poker December 22nd, 2009
Definitions of a Texas Hold Em Card Game
Watching the players on World Series of Poker, you may think you’re ready to try the game for yourself. But before you put down some money and pick up some cards, you have to clearly understand the game. Texas Hold ‘Em isn’t like other types of poker.
In fact, there are variations on Texas Hold ‘Em, so make sure you clarify the rules before the game gets underway. There are some typical Texas Hold ‘Em rules. The highest hand on the table is the winner.
A player can decide whether to use one or both of the hole cards to make up that hand.
Aces, Faces and Tens are High Cards.
Cards numbered from 7 to 9 are Medium Cards.
Cards numbered from 2 to 6 are Low Cards.
Ace can be played as a High Card or Low Card to make a straight.
If both cards are in the same suit, it’s called a Suited Player Hand. If you have three of a kind and two of those are in your hand, that’s a Set. A nut might be a derogatory term in some contexts but not in poker where a “nut” is a hand that can’t be beat.
The pace of play can vary. For Fast Play, the players place bets, raises and re-raises to try to get as many of the other players to fold as possible in the shortest amount of time. In Slow Play, the object is to check or call to keep as many players in the game longer.
The thinking is that the longer the play, the more the pot builds. The Check-Fold is what happens when you are “bet into.” If offered free cards, take them gratefully. Bottom line, Texas Hold ‘Em is a High card game.
The player who starts with two high cards, particularly if they are a pair or a high suited pair (like a king and queen of same suit) is in the strongest opening position. There is typically a three-raise limit and many games are a dollar per bet.
Of course tournaments and casino games push the stakes up considerably. The pot at World Series of Poker is pushing past $12 million dollars for the last winner. So this is clearly no penny-ante deal.
Just make sure you know what you are getting in for financially before the cards hit the table.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 at 7:34 pm and is filed under Poker. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
