Texas Hold'em

 Texas Hold 'em

The popularity of Texas Hold 'Em poker has grown in part due to television's introduction of the game through shows such ESPN's World Series of Poker (Turbo's World Poker Tour), and Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown. It is no secret that Texas Hold 'em has become more interesting to watch and easier to understand thanks to the clever additions of lipstick cams (small cameras placed under poker tables to reveal a player’s two-card start hand). Poker fans can now see inside the starting hands of poker players and witness the drama unfold. This gives them an unprecedented view into the game and allows them to watch their rivals try to outwit each other in order to win huge prize pools. Many people are eager to take Hold ’em beyond watching it on TV and play it online. This chapter provides the essential information to "hold'em and fold 'em", just as you see it on TV.

You will start this chapter by learning the basic differences between the three betting systems: Limit, Pot-Limit, or No-Limit. Next you'll learn about the basics of Hold em, including how blind betting works and how to place blind bets. This chapter also covers how each round of Hold 'em is played. It also discusses the crucial concepts of leveraging your table position, and evaluating the starting hand. I provide a quick way to estimate the probability of you making a hand by simply counting your outs. Knowing how to count out in Hold 'em will help you make better decisions regarding which hands to play or fold and increase your chance of winning more pots.

The Basics of Limit, No-Limit Hold 'em, Pot-Limit, Limit and Pot-Limit

Texas Hold'em (or simply Hold'em) can be played by anywhere from 2 to 22 players, but most online and casino poker rooms have 9 to 10 players. Flop Hold 'em is a game where three community cards, which are shared by all the players, are dealt or flopped face up at the table. The players are also given two pocket or hole cards. Two more rounds of play will see two additional community cards being flopped. By using two of their hole cards and three of their community cards, players win. This chapter covers the three most commonly used betting structures for the game, Limit Hold'em (or Pot-Limit) Hold'em (or No-Limit).

Texas Hold 'em has a lot of structured betting limits. The bets and raises are fixed at dollar amounts like $2 and $4, $3 or $6, $4 and $8, or $4 to $8. The "/" between is used most often. The two first rounds of betting and raises have the exact same dollar amount as the agreed-upon limit. The two last rounds of betting or raises have the exact same dollar amount. Online and in casinos, structured limit Hold ’em games are available in many denominations. They include $5/$10/$20/$15/$30, $10/$20/$30, $15/$30, and up to $100/$200, $300/$600, or even $5,000/$10,000.

In Pot-Limit, Hold 'em the minimum bet (such as $2 or $5), and the maximum wager is whatever is in the pot.

The minimum bet in No-Limit Holdem is a small fixed amount. However the maximum bet allows players to wager any amount of chips, money, or both at the beginning of a hand. Poker players think that No-Limit hold 'em has the most difficult betting structure. A player can at any moment push all his chips into a pot and declare "all out." In order to continue playing the hand, opponents must first match the amount. Raising the “Limits” in Texas Hold ‘Em