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One day I got an email invitation to join a website where you can play poker. I registered there out of curiosity. This is where I first encountered a variation of poker called Texas Holdem. It took me a while to understand the rules of this game. The site gave the opportunity to play for free for points. So I played without stress because it cost me nothing. Sometimes the tournament was attended by 10,000 players and the game lasted up to 8 hours. Slowly I was getting into practice. I registered with the "School of Poker", took high places in tournaments and got tickets to real money tournaments. In this way, I managed to earn a good amount of money, which was enough for me to buy a car and a new laptop. The only investment was my time.
How to play Texas Holdem?
We play with a deck of 52 cards, the minimum number of players is 2, maximum 10.
- one of the players is the dealer
- The 2 players to the left must post a blind bet
- The first player from the left places a small blind, the so-called small blind
- The second player to the left of the dealer places the high blind, the big blind
- each player is dealt two hidden cards, i.e. pocket cards - only their holders can see them
- the auction takes place - it is started by the first player to the left of the dealer
- the participant can make three moves: fold, call or raise
- after the auction, during which each player has put a certain amount of money into the pool, is flop, i.e. three community cards - each of the participants can use them during the game
- there is another bidding and a turn, that is putting the fourth card on the table
- The fifth card on the table, the river, is placed on the table after the third betting and raising
- time for the fourth auction
- The last step in the game is vide all cards. The player has 7 cards at his disposal (5 on the table and 2 in his hand). The player with the highest scored hand wins.
There are two possible endings:
1. showdown - All players involved in the hand reveal their hole cards and the one with the best hand wins
2. One player makes a bet big enough for everyone else to FOLD - you don't always have to have the best hand to win
Hand patterns, i.e. 2 starting cards, will determine whether we will enter the game or better to give up and wait for a better card
The best Texas Holdem hands:
A & A - Two aces is one of the best two starting hands in poker, according to experts.
K & K - these are the so-called cowboys, the second best combination of starting cards;
A & K - such a pair is also called big slick
Q & Q - two queens, i.e. ladies, are another strong starting pair
J & J - a pair of two jacks is also quite a strong card
K & Q - King and Queen is a very good starting hand. It is especially strong if the royal pair is suited
Having such cards in hand, we should never give up bidding ??
There are six basic moves:
*Bet - This is the first bet in a given betting round. If you want to play in a given hand, you bet 4 tokens to the pot. People sitting behind you, if they want to play, must add at least the same number of chips.
*Fold - if you do not want to participate in the hand because you have, for example, weak cards
*Call - if someone has bet or raised before you, you can only call it, i.e. add the same number of chips to the pot.
*Raise - if the person in front of you has entered the game - you can raise his bet from, for example, 4 to 8 chips where you have good cards. Then the people behind you, if they want to play a given hand, must also expect to spend at least 8 chips.
*Check - If no one has raised the pot before you and you are on "BB", for example, you can check - which means you are not placing any more chips pre-flop
*All In - A play that means: I raise the pot for all my chips. The players behind you, if they want to stay in the hand, have to put in the same pool of chips, and if they don't have enough - they play their all-in. If your cards turn out to be the best - you win, if not - you are eliminated from the tournament. If, on the other hand, you had more chips than the opponent who played All In, you win the difference between your bet. In the event of a tie, the pot is divided proportionally to the players' contribution.
Texas Hold'em poker hands ranked from strongest to weakest:
Royal flush - ace, king, queen, jack, ten in one suit - is the strongest hand in Texas Holdem
Poker - five consecutive cards of one suit - if two players have accumulated a flush, the one whose poker starts with the higher card wins.
Four of a kind - four cards of the same value, eg Four Kings - if two players have four of a kind, the one with the highest cards wins.
Ful - three cards of the same type and a pair, eg Three Kings, Two Queens
Flush - any five cards of the same suit
Straight - five consecutive cards, but of a different suit
Three of a Kind - three cards of the same rank
Two couples
Couple
Poker Texas Hold'em, contrary to appearances, is not a game of chance. It is a discipline for players who can think analytically and quickly assess the strength of their cards in their hand. If we keep our distance, we can have fun doing it.
Follow me on Twitter: @aga_aro
*I was inspired to write this article by the large WHALE community. many guys were eager to play poker but did not know the rules of the game. Therefore, I decided to systematize the basic concepts of Texas Holdem to help understand its rules. Originally, the content of the post was posted on Uptrennd. And it would probably stay there, if it wasn't for the fact that the platform will ends on May 31, 2021. That's why I decided to move the post to PUBLISH0X so that those interested in this game could still use its content.
Photos thanks to Pixabay.com
https://pixabay.com/pl/photos/poker-kasyno-royal-flush-2192235/
https://pixabay.com/pl/photos/dziewczyna-cylinder-karty-do-gry-1339685/
https://pixabay.com/pl/photos/karty-oczko-kasyno-hazard-gamble-1030852/
https://pixabay.com/pl/photos/poker-frytki-hazard-zysk-2257783/
https://pixabay.com/pl/photos/poker-gra-gra%C4%87-hazard-szcz%C4%99%C5%9Bcie-1564042/
