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If one game could be held responsible for the success of online gambling, it is Texas Hold’em.
Between 1998 (the year of the film Rounders and the first online poker room) and 2003 (when Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker after qualifying for the game at PokerStars.com), Texas Hold’em went from just one of many poker variants to the single most popular poker game in the world. This momentum only mushroomed over the next few years, as a ‘perfect storm’ of interest, hype, and disposable income put Texas Hold’em in the spotlight at precisely the time at which the Internet finally became fully capable of offering fast and secure online games.
“Texas Dolly” Doyle Brunson is credited with bringing Texas Hold’em to Vegas.
At Doyle’s Room, he brings it to the online world!
A Texas Holdem hand flows like this:
Pre-flop: A double-blind ante sets up the pot — in other words, the player next to the dealer button puts in the small blind (half of the big blind) and the player next in line contributes the big blind (typically the minimum bet). Players are dealt two face-down cards (“hole cards” or “pocket cards”) and make their first bets, starting with the person next to the big blind (the “Under the Gun” seat).
The Flop: the dealer lays out three community cards, face-up. This makes the first chance the players have to create a full hand. Another betting round ensues, beginning with the first player next to the dealer.
Turn: the dealer adds a fourth community card. Another betting round.
River: the dealer adds a final community card. The final round of betting, and (if there is more than one player left) the showdown.
This shot of a typical Cake Poker table shows
the button (bottom left) followed by big and small blinds.
Texas Hold’em is referred to as “positional” poker, where much of your strategy has to do with your relative position. Going clockwise from the Button (dealer), we’ve already mentioned the Early Positions ( the Small Blind, the Big Blind, and Under the Gun). Early seats tend to be less advantageous, because you have to act before everyone else. The later positions are much better off, especially the last position before the dealer button (the Cutoff). Fairly recently, the seat before the Cutoff has become known as the Hijack position — because if the Cutoff player folds, the next player in line ‘hijacks’ that coveted last seat.
Still confused? Not to worry. There are many other Texas Hold’em players out there, and quite a few that you can count on being even more confused than you. Once you start playing online Texas Hold’em, it should fall into place — whether you know the cool words or not!