TEXAS HOLDEM
Most Played Poker Game

PLAYER: Two to twenty-three (Optimal amount is seven to nine)

CARDS: Each player gets two pocket cards, plus five community cards in the “window” (see below).
BETTING: Four rounds with betting doubling in last two rounds; play with ante or blinds.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Make sure you can build on your pocket cards. Pay attention to how players bet after the flop.
WHAT WINS: Usually a high pair or better.

Many hardcore poker players consider Texas Holdem the game of games. It has had a surge of popularity in recent years as the official game of the World Series of Poker and many other tournaments. Home poker players should be aware that the tournament games are usually betting strategies.
Texas Holdem is a community card game in which you try to construct the best five-card hand from three of the five community cards (known as the “window”) plus the two cards dealt to you. (It is possible that only one of your pocket cards will be used, say to make a pair with a card from the widow, and the other will function as the kicker.) The two cards dealt to each player are placed facedown or in the hole or pocket; the five community cards are placed facedown in the middle of the table.
After each player is dealt his or her two hole cards and the community cards are laid facedown, the first round of betting begins with the player to the dealer’s left. That person begins the bet each time. You are not allowed to check in the first betting round you must either bet or fold.
Once the first round of betting is done, three community cards are turned over-this is called the flop. After the flop, another round of betting takes place. The fourth community card is then flipped the turn, or Fourth Street and players bet again. However, if you want to stay in for this round and the last (the “river” or fifth street and players bet again. However, if you want to stay in for this round and the last (the “river” or fifth street), you must bet double the minimum bet. For instance, if $1 is the minimum bet for the poker game, you must bet at least $2 on the turn and on the river. After the river card is flipped over, there is one last betting round and then the showdown. It is sometimes possible that a tie will occur, in which case the pot is split.
At the casinos, the betting in Texas Holdem usually starts with “blinds” rather than antes. However, if you are at home, and playing several different games in an evening, it is recommended that you use antes in Holdem (for more on blinds, see page 87). With antes, everyone contributes to the pot before the deal, but with blinds, it is only the two people closest to the dealer’s left. So if you are playing several different games, it is better to keep the ante consistent, so everyone has anted the same amount in the end.