Poker Texas Holdem English

Poker Texas Hold'emA guide to the game

Do you like money?Would you like to be famous?

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Poker is a game of odds. Like horse races, like sporting bets, we play odds. We play the odds of having the best hand, made with a fixed number of cards, against the odds of other player having one worst. The difference, to other gambling kind of games, where you bet odds, is that in this game each player influences the outcome of the game, not staying related to an external general result.


To play poker, or to start to learn, we must understand, in the first place what defines the evaluation of something.The cards and their values, which are the base of the game, of each color, go from 2 to 10, followed by the Jack (J), Queen (Q), King (K) and the Ace (A). The Ace has a double value in the evaluation and differentiating the hands, which we will see next. There are 4 the suits, or colors, which we play with, and which are Spades, Hearts, Clubs and Diamonds.


Next we must understand what makes two hands different from each other, yet without mentioning game dynamics, which I explain now.The following ranking goes from the lowest hand to the highest one, and the higher wins to the lower one.


The lowest possible hand, any 5 cards, without any facial value, like 7, King or Ace, two alike, or without any possible sequence, be it in number or suit. Wins who has the highest card, or the second, or third, forth, fifth, or in case of a tie. More than 5 cards it is called a tie.

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A pair, plus any other 3. Two cards with the same face value, like Queen (Q), Queen (Q), wins who has the higher pair, or else, in case of similar pairs, the best high card of the 3 remaining ones.


Two pairs, one pair of a value and another of another different value. Wins who has the highest pair, or in case of same high pair the second highest pair, or even the highest card in case of the same two pairs.


Set or Trips. Three cards with the same facial value, like three fours (4). Wins the highest set or the highest card in case of same sets.


Straight. Five cards of straight facial value, like 2,3,4,5 e 6 and of more than one suit. Wins the highest straight. Because we use 5 cards to make a hand, there is no space for a highest card, therefore wins the highest straight.


Flush. Five cards, non consecutive, all from the same suit. Wins the highest flush, or following card in case of a tie.


Full House. A group of a set and a pair.Wins the highest set or in case of tie the second highest pair.


Poker. All four cards of the same facial value. Wins the highest poker or in case of a tie the highest card.


Straight Flush. Five consecutive cards all of the same suit. Wins the highest straight flush.


Royal Straight Flush. Highest possible hand of the straight flush, has the specificity of going from the 10 to the Ace, being therefore the Royal Straight in the suit.It is only the highest straight possible, not being a different hand from the previous by itself, just the card's face value.


Special note: The Ace is a card with double face value. It serves us both for the highest straight, from the 10 to the Ace, either suited or not, as for the lowest straight, from the Ace to the 5, either suited or not. Therefore it can be in both edges of the cards scale or evaluation, like from the Ace to the King, or like from the 2 to the Ace, like we need to accomplish our hand. It can have both values at the same time.


Game dynamicsThe game is played with a minimum of 2 players, to a maximum, nowadays, of 10, each table. With 2 players it is called heads-up, just one against the other. Up to 6 players it is called short-handed and with 7 or more long table or long-handed, despite not having that name, usual, because, «by rule» that is the way it is played, and the others the exceptions.


Game dynamicsEach player starts with a previously defined amount of chips that are being bet all over the game, and are used as a currency in the game. Chips have fixed values, which can be, or not, be replaced has the game goes through by the Dealer.


Game dynamicsThere's a player, by turn, always to the left at the moment the hand is played, which is called the Dealer and that in casinos is just identified by a disc at his front, being the cards dealt by a real professional dealer. At his left there is the first player, which is called Small Blind, and that pays only half of a bet previously set before the game started, without seeing any cards, so that the game has dynamics and to have money in the pot.


Game dynamicsAt his left, at the left of the first player, there is the second player counting from the dealer, which is called Big Blind. This one pays the total value of the bet, or twice of the small blind, value also set previously, like, for example, $0,5 e $1 each one.To starters, as a footnote, values usually go from $0,01 e $0,02 up to $0,05 and $0,1. They are called micro-stakes, also the lowest game levels. To starters there are also free tournaments, with money prizes, called freerolls.

(More information in the end)


Game dynamicsThe game by itself is the ability of getting the 5 best cards, combining them or not, with our two (pocket cards) and the 5 comunity cards, which are in the table and are used to improve every player's hand, therefore, from 7 cards total, winning the best 5 cards or up to all players fold except one player.


Game dynamicsTo accomplish that any player receives from the dealer 2 cards, called pocket cards. In this moment the blinds place their chips (bets) in the table, no mater which cards they had received. Because they are forced to place their bets their name in the game is the blinds.


Game dynamicsAlways to the left each player from the big blind sees his cards and decides if he wants to play or not. If he doesn't want to play, to fold, each player drops his cards. In case he wants to play he pays the big blind or, in case he thinks that not only wanting to play, that he also has to very good starting cards, like 2 Kings, 2 Aces, an Ace and a King, Ace and Queen, he decides if he wants to raise, paying at least twice the amount of the big blind.


Game dynamicsContinuing to the left, the remaining players decide, after seeing their cards, if they should or not remain in the game, and, if so, they should pay the highest amount in the table to keep in the game, or, in case they think they have even a greater game they decide to raise that amount, always by a blind, at least, or twice the largest bet, depending on the poker room or casino. This is up to place where the game is held.


Game dynamicsAll following players, by the left, decide what to do considering the game that is going on, up to the last one, which is the big blind, either calling, the highest amount, to do a call, or to fold, to give up. The players in the blinds just have to pay the rest of the money, in case of raises, or, if no one raises up to him, the Big Blind, he doesn't have to pay anymore to keep in the game because they had already payed the blinds in the beginning.


Game dynamicsThis is the fact that makes poker interesting, because it allows always to have money in the pot to be interesting to chase it. The bets proceed until all agree, either bet or fold, either bet or call. When all players have «speaked» and reached agreement the game proceeds to the next card draw. If every player but one remains, all folding up to him, he wins this round and gets the pot in the table.


Game dynamicsThe money left in the pot goes to the player left, either, in the first case, to the player left, or, in the other case, to the player in the big blind, because no one calls him, despite having or not a good game, because they didn't entered the game. In this round of betting I must just add that the big blind is the last player speaking, because all bets started in the player at his left.


Game dynamicsLastly, in the case that all the players have just called the value of the Big Blind bet, the one in the Big Blind seat can just check, free, because he had already payed the blind by default. It also sets that all those players that called go the next round.


Game dynamicsIn the following rounds, if the game goes on to those rounds, the dealer gives to the players 3 comunity cards, placed in the center of the table. Technically, one card is «burned» between each round, before the cards are dealt, being the cards given from the top of the deck, therefore only burning the card in the beginning of the next round, like now, for example.


Game dynamicsThis next 3 cards are called flop. Each player, along with his cards, has, in this moment, at least 5 cards, from which he can then set the path to follow. For example, if he holds in his pocket cards two spades, and in the flop 2 other appear, or even 3, he has a draw, with 2 of them, or already a flush. So, at this moment he can already have his hand made.This one, or for example, if he has a pocket pair and 1 or 2 other cards of the same face value appear in the flop, he can already have a set or even a poker.


Game dynamicsAccording to what the player thinks he holds, always after from first player at the left of the dealer and playing that round, we go to the next round. That first player has the following options, check, bet, or even to fold, which is not profitable, because of the check action is free, and even, in the case of all players in the hand to check, to see another free card in the next round. Here the dynamics is similar to the previous one.


Game dynamicsThis next round is called river. If one player bets, thinking or not that he has «game», the others, according to what they have, they decide if the call, which is to call the previous bet, or even raise, with all the previous rules, and even, in case they think it is not profitable, to fold. Like in the previous round the game proceeds with the players still active after the agreement of all players in the betting round. Be that agreement to all fold but one, winning that the pot money at the moment, or, to go to the next betting round if all call or check all the bets.


Game dynamicsIn the last round the process is similar. This is called the river. From the players still in game there is a new betting round after the dealer had burned another card, like he did in the flop and turn, giving the last community card to the players. Like before, wins the player left if all fold, or, now, in case of all still playing call to see what the others have, after agreeing in all bets, like, one player bets x and the others call, and we go to the showdown, which is the act of showing the pocket cards and see, after all, who wins the pot. The one winning takes all there in the pot in chips, in the common pot that was growing since the early bets in the beginning of the hand.


Game dynamicsIf in any moment, since the beginning, places all his money at stakes, he is now in all-in mode, which he will be in until showdown but without interfere in the following betting rounds, just to other players in the game who payed his all in amount, and, from there, a new pot is created, with the extra bets that are made after the money in the all-in pot. It is called a side pot, where the first player, the all-in one, won't participate, only thoses that contributed to that pot. Each player can never win from another player more than he betted against him. He can win that from several players, like 50 from 3 players if he betted 50, 150, not 150 from one against a 50 bet.


Game dynamicsAt showdown, which at least 2 active players will see, the one all-in and at least the one that had payed his bet, it will decide then who wins the hand. In case of victory from the player that did the all-in, this one wins the primary pot, having nothing to do with possible side pots. In case of victory from any of the other players, the first one looses his position at the game loosing all his chips he betted, being eliminated, and the victory in the hand of one of the other players, either one or more.


Lasty, game modes and variants. Poker is played in the cash game, or ring game which are tables played with chips corresponding to money, with the previously mentioned stakes and where each player exchanges his money for chips, enters and leaves a table as he would like, either winning or not any money, and with the money currently in his possession. There are also the Sit'n'Go tournaments, or mini tournaments, which starts as soon as 2, 6 or 9/10 people sits at one or more table, acording the tournament rules.


There are also tournaments, which are the ones we see in TV, where players, like in the SnG pay a preset value, which corresponds to x chips, winning who is left with all the chips in play. There are tournaments, called re-buy and/or add-on where you can buy again some more chips, or add some chips to the ones you already have. Big tournaments get to have thousands and thousands of dollars or euros. They start at a previous set date and time, unlike SnG which start as soon as full.


As mentioned earlier, that are also freeroll tournaments, which allow beginners to start making their own bank so that they can play in money tournaments, with buy-in, or, to go to cash tables. This tournaments are like the other ones in everything, like money in the prizepool, except a lot less, being a good way to start at poker.


Poker has lots of variations, like Omaha, in which player gets 4 pocket cards, instead of 2, and it is all like Hold'Em, except the particularity of the need of using 2 out of the 4 pocket cards in any hand that is made, even if the community cards allow a better hand, always 2 from the pocket cards must be used to be elegible to win it.


I just play Hold'em, however here are some links so that you can start searching more around about the game, in case you want to.

http://HoldUs.Blogspot.com (portuguese)http://www.PokerPt.com (portuguese)http://www.FullTiltPoker.comhttp://www.PokerStars.com

And also the links throughout the presentation for real free cash!!! No deposit or anything required!


Poker Texas Holdem English

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