| Texas Hold'em |
 Play Online Poker Hold'Em:
Texas Hold'Em is the simplest yet probably the purest form of Poker ever devised. The media loves it, pro Poker players, and even spectators can't seem to get enough of this game. It's no coincidence that Hold'Em is the game that players at the World Series of Poker play to determine who takes home a cool $5,000,000 and the champion's bracelet and the World Poker Tour has moved into the number 1 slot for TV audience. Hold'em is an aggressive, intense and unpredictable game that generates huge pots, and makes you check your pulse on every turn of the cards. What seems like a lock hand on the flop, might not survive the wrong river card. In other words ... it's pure brass ... Lot's of you may prefer 7-Card Stud, but nothing compares to Hold'Em. Basics of Hold'Em Hold'Em is a derivative of 7-Stud . Players form the best five-card Poker hand from seven available cards. The main difference between 7-Stud and Hold'Em is that only two cards are actually held by the player as pocket cards. The other five are open, dealt to the middle of the table and shared by all players. This Means there are fewer cards in play, so a typical Hold'Em game usually seats nine or more players at the table. More Players = Bigger Pots The dealer in Hold'Em is marked by a disk called the button. For each hand the button rotates to the left. Players are identified by their seat position. The dealer is seat one, the player to the dealer's left is seat two and so on, clockwise around the table to the player on the dealer's right which is typically seat nine. Unless you are playing in a private game, there is always a house dealer so the button will rotate around the table and be dealt according to the location of the "dealer". Betting position greatly affects a players opportunity, so be aware of the button position. Small Blind & Big Blind: Instead of an Ante, Hold'Em uses forced bets or "blinds" to quickly build the pot. The first player to the dealer's left -- seat two -- is the small blind and must kick in half the lower limit ($5 in a $10-$20 game). Seat three is the big blind and must kick in the full value of the lower limit ($10 in a $10-$20) game. The Opening:
Once the first betting round is complete, the dealer burns a card and then deals the first three community cards in the center of the table. This is called the flop. This betting round begins with seat #2 (small blind), or the first remaining player on the dealer's left. Checking is permitted now and for the rest of the hand. Bets are placed at the lower limit ($10 in our example). The TurnThe dealer burns a card and a fourth community card it dealt onto the table. This betting round begins with seat #2 (small blind), or the first remaining player on the dealers left. Checking is permitted now and for the rest of the hand. Bets are placed at the higher limit ($20 in our example). The RiverThe dealer burns a card and deals the fifth and final community card. This betting round also begins with seat #2 (small blind), or the first remaining player on the dealers left. Checking is permitted now and for the rest of the hand. Bets are placed at the higher limit ($20 in our example). The ShowdownAs in 7-Stud, the best 5 card hand wins. Players may form their final hands from any combination of the table cards and their own pocket cards, even ignoring the pocket cards and using only the table cards if they wish. Hands are ranked in the following order from Highest to Lowest
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