At the moment, poker is the largest and most popular game in which there are many of their tournaments with multi-million dollar prizes. In fact, there are a large number of varieties of this game, but poker hold'em rightfully holds the palm. The rules of this game are very simple, and the process itself is quite dynamic and interesting, so fans of excitement prefer it.
The rise of poker
The emergence of this game is rooted deep in the late 10th century. Naturally, such games, where there was an element of bluffing, constantly existed in the life of a civilized society, but as for Texas Hold'em poker, the rules of the game are similar to one ancient Chinese game, which the emperor Mu Tsungu loved to play.
In Europe, the first mention of this game occurs 600 years after ancient China, the only differences from the modern game were that all players were given 3 cards in their hands. Bidding was held where any participant could bluff, after which the winner was determined, while there were only 3 combinations: two pairs, a three and a flash. Already in the XVIII century the number of cards increased to five, but there was only one round of bidding, after which the players opened the cards and recognized the winner. There were more combinations, and the game began to look like traditional poker, by the way, and the name came from the French word poque.
American poker
In the USA, poker appeared only thanks to the French colonists, who at that time were engaged in the settlement of Louisiana. Based on the reliable records of Joseph Crowell, he traveled a lot and once in New Orleans he saw a game in which 4 people were involved, a deck of 20 cards, and the winner was appointed by establishing the strongest combination. Already in the interval between 1834–1837. was adopted for playing a deck of 52 cards, which later became the standard for playing poker. Thus, along with the addition of new card combinations, several additional trading rounds were introduced, which made the game more dynamic. But still, this was not poker hold'em. The rules of these games had some differences, despite the large number of common nuances.
Thus, by the middle of the 19th century, a huge number of players appeared on the coasts of Mississippi and Missouri who lived off poker games, and soon, thanks to the gold rush in California, this game quickly gained colossal proportions not only in the Wild West, but throughout America.
The Civil War between the South and the North also played an important role, since in their free time from military operations, the soldiers played poker.
History of poker types
Naturally, such a game of chance as poker was constantly on the verge of being banned, and in some states of America it kept coming under the ban and was equated with a criminal offense for which there was a prison term. But despite all the danger, poker remained very popular.
Against the backdrop of the prohibitions and globalization of this gamble, in the 70s America, and subsequently the whole world, met texas holdem. Poker rules have several differences from those that were previously, but nonetheless, its popularity is growing every day. Tournaments and championships are increasingly appearing, the first of which was the World Series of Poker in 1970. From that moment, poker ceased to be just a gamble for money, and became the official sport that was recognized in the United States of America.
Texas poker formats
Texas Hold'em rules imply 3 different game formats:
- Unlimited poker, in which the bet is not fixed.
- Pot limit, where the bet can be made proceeding from the Bank Roll, that is, from the minimum to the maximum established.
- Limit type of poker, where the rates are strictly limited by the blind.
Tournaments and various championships are held for all types of poker, but it was the unlimited game that got the most popularity, since it is the most spectacular and dynamic.
Poker rules
Before learning the rules of poker hold'em, it is necessary to say a few words about the location of the players. If the game takes place without a permanent dealer, each of the players takes turns becoming one, on the Internet it is marked with the letter D and has the name button, in this game the dealer also has an identification mark in the form of a chip with the same letter. The person who is on the left hand of the dealer is called the “small blind”, then immediately after it comes the “big blind”. This is followed by a player of an early position, professionals call this position “iron”. After that, three players have an average position, and the person sitting to the right of the dealer is a cutoff. All positions change, moving from one to another clockwise.
The first two players after the dealer (the small and big blinds) must make a mandatory bet, which is determined before the game, and everyone is obliged to do this before everyone is dealt two cards. Distribution begins after all bets have been placed. All novice players should pay a lot of attention to the order of bets and moves, as in the future this will fully affect the strategy of the game.
Map layouts
The combinations in Texas poker are arranged as follows, starting from the weakest combination (hand):
- High card - when players have no combinations, the one with the highest card wins.
- A pair is two cards of the same value.
- Two pairs - two pairs of cards of the same value.
- Set - three cards of the same value.
- Street - five cards that sequentially go one after another, of any suit.
- Flash - any five cards of the same suit.
- Full House - three cards of the same value and two cards of the same value.
- Four of a kind - four cards of the same value.
- Street Flash - five cards of the same suit, going in sequence.
- Royal Flash - five cards from tens to ace of the same suit.
Game progress
So, now, knowing the basics, you can start playing poker hold'em. The rules state that cards must be dealt clockwise and begin with the small blind. Each player receives two cards (face up), and this position at the table is called - preflop. After that, everyone starts to make their bets. Since the first two players made their mandatory bets, the first to start is the person who is immediately after the big blind in the early position. Thus, he can:
- Discard his cards if he believes that his chances are too small.
- Equalize the bet (put the same number of chips) that the player made in the big blind.
- Raise the bid (based on the format of your game).
After the circle has ended in the small and big blind, the dealer puts on the game table the first three cards (open to all). All players can use them to build their combination. Further, those who have not discarded cards, again begin a new round of bidding, after which another card is laid out on the table, now the position is called the turn. Bets are made again, at the end of which the last card, called the river, is laid out, thus the final round of betting takes place, and after the players' cards are opened, the winner takes the entire bank that was formed for the deal. If someone did not wait, and on some lap the player bet everything (went all-in), he simply waits for the final showdown. The winner is the player whose combination is older. As we can see, the rules of Texas Hold'em are quite simple, but they must be remembered.
Strategy
Much of poker depends on luck, but professionalism honed not only in victories, but also in defeats, occupies no lesser share. A large place in the game is strategy. The rules of poker (Texas Hold'em) have several concepts, which, in turn, describe the player’s behavior strategy.
Loose play involves a sharp game with unreasonable risk. It is often used by beginners who are ready to go all-in with any combination, hoping for a bluff.
Tight players are calm and reasonable, they do not rely on luck and rush into the game exclusively with a good card, if they are weak they discard them without trying to bluff.
Aggressive play allows your opponent to dictate their own rules of poker hold'em, thereby keeping him in constant tension with his big bets, regardless of whether it is a bluff or not.
Passive players rarely attack themselves, often they accept and support opponents' bets in the hope that they will have a winning combination on the last two cards. Thanks to the right strategy of the game, you can beat any poker player. Texas Hold'em rules of the game allow you to choose the behavior that is characteristic of your game, but as for the most effective game, it is best to use a tight-aggressive position. It is due to the drawing of only a strong hand, but it is necessary to attack to the maximum.
Parting words before the game
Successful tactics and good combinations in Texas poker will allow you to earn a lot of money doing this game. Regardless of whether you are a professional player or a beginner, it is necessary to develop the most convenient position for yourself in the game. Now there is a large amount of educational material with which you can learn a lot about poker hold'em: rules, strategy, tactics, combinations, strength of the starting hand, etc. The more information is received, the better and more productive your game will become. The most popular card game at the moment is poker. Texas Hold'em rules are not much different from any other type of game. Thus, those people who already had experience in another form of poker will be somewhat easier, but at the same time it’s worth refreshing your memory and, before playing for real money, practice and develop your own style of play.