Texas Hold'em

Of all the types of Poker, Texas Hold'em is picking up the most speed. You see it online on almost every casino website. You see it on TV -- celebrity poker, poker championships; everyone wants a part of it now a days.

I personally like Party Poker.com to play Texas Hold'em -- their software is stable, easy to install, and they offer such great benifits to real money players as well as play money players.

Multiplayer poker online is a good way to relax and spend your time after you've spent the evening cleaning, working, or whatever you do! You can chat with people as you play, or you can choose not to chat with anyone while you play.

Playing Texas Hold'em

• Poker Hands
• Poker Introduction
• Poker Dictionary

There are two main tables, limit and no-limit hold'em. No limit means that there is no maximum bet - you can bet all of your chips at once if you are confident in your hand. In a limit game, you can only bet the big blind or the total pot of the round.

First, you should grab a general understanding of what Texas Hold'em is. It is a game where you are dealt two whole cards, which you use with the cumminty cards -- up to five community cards are dealt, known collectively as the river.

Before you jump into a game of Hold'em, remember that there isn't any set way to play a hand. You're not so much playing the hand as playing your opponents. Bluffing, out bidding and knowing when to fold is key.

Use the power of thought... While you are playing your hand, take note of the community cards and ask yourself...

• 1. What hands could possibly be made? Are there three cards of the same suite? Someone could have a flush... Are there enough cards there to make a straight? What is the highest pair someone could have with that flop?
• 2. What cards could your opponents have? If an Ace of spaces, Three of daimonds, Ten of daimonds is flopped and someone raises, they could have a pair of aces or a pair of tens... A pair of threes is rarely met with a raise... Someone could also have two diamonds in their pocket, meaning that they are raising and hoping for the next card will be a daimond suit.
• 3. Can my hand beat the other possibilities? If you have an Ace and you are met with the same flop in the previous point, youre chances of winning are greater than the other possibilities in most cases; however, there is a possibility that someone has two aces in their pocket already.
• 4. How much am I willing to lose? This is an obvious point that a lot of us miss... Know your limit! Quit betting and calling if you've reached your limit and know when to quit!

Texas Hold'em Guide... Check back soon

First, I am assuming that you are playing in a ring game - meaning, you buy however many chips you want up to the table miximum and you play those chips against however many opponents are at the table. In other words, not a tournement.

First thing is first, you need chips. Buy your chips, or set the amount of play chips that you want to use. How you do this will depend on which poker room you are playing at.

Once you have your chips and are sitting at the table - look around to see what player has the button. The player with the button is known to be "sitting on the button". The player to the left of the person with the button will have to post half of the ante, known as the small blind. The blinds are set by the table and you will more than likely be told what the blinds are before the game begins.

The person that has to put in the small blind can be referred to as the small blind, obviously. The person on the left of the small blind will be the big blind and they have to place the big blind (the full ante) before the cards are dealt. Once the cards are dealt, the person on the big blind will be the last person to act in the first round. This is a big advantage as they can see what all the other players are doing before they have to act.

Once the cards are dealt, the person to the left of the big blind is the first person to act. If they have decent whole cards, they will post the blind (whatever amount the big blind is) and possibly place a bet. They can also fold - everyone can fold during their turn if they feel it's required.

The players then place their bets, raise, call previous bets, or fold based on their cards and the potential that their cards could have. The play goes clock-wise until the round ends - the round will end when everyone has called whatever the current bet is.

The next round begins with the flop. The flop consists of three cards. Using the cards that have flopped and your two whole cards, you make your move accordingly. Remember... Don't show your cards; you are mentally making your hand up. Another round of betting is done.

The next community card is dealt, known as the turn card, or just the turn. Another round of betting is made.

The fifth and final card is dealt, and this is known as the river. One final round of betting begins.

After all bets are in, the players show their cards and the winner is determined based on the best hand that their whole card and the community cards have made.

Going All-In

When you are playing no limit hold'em, you might find yourself going all-in more than a few times, though you can go all-in in limit hold'em; however, it isn't as easy, since there is a betting maximum.

If you are all in and one person has called you, both players' cards are turned face up -- since you can no longer make bets (You already bet all of your chips!) The other player has no reason to make bets once he or she has called you.

With both players' whole cards face up, the flop comes, then the turn, then the river. The dealer then sees whose hand is the best and the winner is set accordingly. If you lose, then you're out - you have no more chips. Since it is a ring table, you can buy more chips and re-join the game.

If you are all in and two other players call you, your hand remains face down and your bet along with the other two player's bets and the blinds are set into a side pot. You can only win back what you have bet, the blinds and what the other players have called - since there are two players, there will be more betting, but you will not be entitled to their bets if you win.

The two other players continue the game normally until either folds or until the river comes and a winner is determined -- all the while, they are creating their own pot.

If you win, you will get the side pot and the new pot will be split among the other two players. If one of the other players win, both pots are awarded to them.