Casino Games - Texas Hold'em Poker

No one knows exactly where or when Texas Hold 'em Poker was first played. There are some who say that the earliest game played was in Robstown, Texas, in the early 1900s and it first came to Dallas, Texas in 1925.

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Texas Hold 'em was the brought to Las Vegas by a group of Texan gamblers and card players. Now the game is played all over the world, including European casinos and in the Caribbean.

Playing Texas Hold 'em Poker

As in most poker games, the goal in Texas Hold 'em is to win "pots". A "pot" is the sum of the money bet by all the players in a hand. A pot is won by the player who has the best five card hand. After all the cards are on the table, players show their five card hands at what is called the "showdown."

Here's how it works. Every player gets two "face down" cards. These are called the pocket cards and only the player knows what his or her pocket cards are. On their own, the two pocket cards won't help you. However, they will be key as you try and build a hand with the "community cards" (those shared by all the players).

A total of five community cards are dealt and placed face up in the center of the poker table. First only three are dealt, and bets are placed; then another card, another round of betting; and then the final card.

The goal is to form the best possible five-card hand using the five community cards plus your two pocket cards (i.e. you use the best five out of seven cards). While it is possible to just use the five community cards for your hand, ignoring those you are holding, it isn't to your advantage: the best you could manage that way would be to split the pot, since all the players can use those same cards.

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The Winning Poker Hands

As in most games of poker, you are trying to get a hand with a straight (five cards in numerical order), a flush (all the same suit), a full house (three-of-a-kind and a pair), or a three or even two of a kind. In cases of ties, say when two people have three of a kind or two people have a straight, the winner is determined by the holder of the card with the highest value.

For example, if one player has a straight made up of a 3-4-5-6-7, and a second player has a straight that contains a 6-7-8-9-10, then the second player would be the winner since his 10 outranks the first player's 7.

The game is quick to learn and is very popular even among those who have never really played much poker.

For more Texas Hold'Em information please visit:
The History of Texas Hold'Em Poker
Rules of How to Play Texas Hold'Em Poker
Tips for Winning Texas Hold'Em Poker
Texas Hold'Em Poker Strategy
Land-Based vs. Online Texas Hold 'Em Poker

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