Texas Holdem

History of Texas Hold’em

Legends indicate that the first Texas Hold’em game was in the early twentieth century at Robstown in Texas. The game later came into Texas in 1925. A group of cardplayers and Texan gamblers like Doyle Brunson, Crandall Addington, and Amarillo Slim thereafter introduced the game to Las Vegas.

The first game at Las Vegas was in 1967 at the Golden Nugget Casino. Tom Moore was the first to hold a poker tournament in 1969 at the Second Annual Gambling Fraternity Convention. Later, Benny and Jack Binion acquired rights to this convention. They named it the World Series of Poker. After the first year, no-limit Texas hold'em became the main event of this tournament.

How to Play Texas Hold’em

Every player receives two face down cards and there are five face up community cards. You have to make the best five-card combination using all these cards. The main objective is to win the pot formed by the bets of all the players. You can win it by either forming the best five-card combination or by making other players fold and abandon their claim to the pot. The game starts with posting of antes and blinds. A small blind is to the left of the dealer and is normally half of the big blind. Big blind is equal to the minimum bet.

After completion of the first betting round, players receive three face community cards. This is Flop. After completion of betting for the flop, dealer places the fourth face up card. This is turn. After betting for this round, dealer deals the fifth face up card. This is river. The winner has the best five-card combination using any combination of hole cards and community cards.

Game Rules

• Game involves use of small and big blind bets only. You can use antes only in the later stages of the game.
• Normally, this game has two to ten players.
• Dealer button represents player in the dealer position. This button rotates clockwise after each hand. This changes position of dealer and blinds.
• If there are only two players at the end of the tournament, dealer posts the small blind while the other player places the big blind.
• If one player bets and all others fold, the single player wins the pot and does not have to show the hole cards.
• In limit hold’em games, bets and raises in the first two betting rounds should equal the big blind or the small bet. In the turn and river, bets and raises should equal twice the big blind or the big bet.
• If there is more than one winner, all share the pot equally.

Suit values do not have any relevance in this game, only card values count.