Texas Hold'em 101
Let's talk about history for a minute. Maybe you are one of those who are fascinated by the Best Game in the world and would love to know where it comes from.
Poker has actually been played for centuries. Poker as we know it comes from a French version called Poque. Texas Hold'em supposedly was first played in Texas, in Robstown, in the early 1900s. Texas Hold'em is undoubtedly the most popular form of poker, with players passionate about the game and its hype. The popularity of the game can be attributed to the televised broadcast of the World Series of Poker. This is also thanks to the invention of the pin-sized camera, which allows the viewer to see each of the players cards. Texas Hold'em is the best game to play in a tournament structure as it is dynamic, exciting and skillful. The game has gained celebrity status with the likes of Ben Affleck, Robin Williams and Nicole Kidman who are all said to be playing at the World Series of Poker 2005. It is the Texas Hold'em era, so claim your seat in history.
Firsts things first, you have to learn the basics. If you are not new to the game, you can skim this
section. However, many players have fundamental flaws in their understanding of the game, so it's probably
better to read the basics carefully.
Let's talk about the table, the dealer and the blinds. Texas Hold'em is usually played with ten players at what is known as a ten-seater table. However the game can be played with as few as two players. The new players should only play at ten-seater tables until they are comfortable with the game. This is mainly to prevent the player from losing too much money being in the blinds.
You're probably asking yourself what blinds are? These are forced bets that guarantee action and a pot amount in the game. If that sentence just went over your head, an action is what the player does when it is his turn to play, and a pot is the total amount of money that is to be won, and is usually placed in the middle of the table. Back to the blinds: There is a Small Blind and a Big Blind. The small blind puts in a pre-determined amount in the pot, and the big blind puts double that amount. If a small blind puts in $1 into the pot, the big blind will have to put in $2. Now for the bad news, each player has a turn to be the blinds. The blinds post their bets before the first two cards are even dealt. The small blind and the big blind sit to the left of the dealer button, in that order.
Which brings us to the dealer: The dealer button is a round disk with the letter 'D'. It is passed around the table, from player to player, in a clockwise motion.
The dealer button is also referred to as the 'puck' or the 'buck'. Hence the saying 'passing the buck'. Each player has a chance to be the dealer, which is good news, as you get to see what all the other players do before you bet.