Texas Hold'em Poker is the most popular variant of poker in the world, more money is wagered annually on poker than any other game, and this has grown year on year thanks to the Internet which has made it possible to play 24/7 from the comfort of your own home.
The game calls for extreme skill, luck and patience and these three qualities have led to a great many online players using it as their main source of income, but don't be fooled into thinking just anyone can become a full-time poker player.
Watching the World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour of any of the big poker events on television will show you that there is much more to mastering the game than being dealt a good hand, you need nerves of steel and the ability to read fellow players whilst not giving anything away by your actions.
Some of the top poker players can read a players hand just by studying a player and their facial expressions or even their reactions, so if you always scratch your nose when you have a good hand you are doomed and won't ever become a money making poker player!
Texas Hold'em - Basic Rules
The game of Texas Hold'em follows a set pattern and this is easy to follow, the game begins with two players posting a Blind and a Big Blind (this are just two small initial bets to start the game) then
the Dealer gives all players two cards, these are your Pocket Cards and only you will know what they are as they are dealt face down and you are allowed to peek at them.
Each player then chooses how they wish to play their hand by either folding, raising or possibly checking and then the Dealer shows three of the Community cards, another round of
betting takes place and then the forth community card is deal. Once again another round of betting takes place then the final Community Card is revealed.
The final round of betting now takes place and then the remaining players reveal their hands in what is known as the showdown, in which the player with the best ranked hand wins
the pot.
Texas Hold'em - Game Types
Tournaments - In a Texas Hold'em Tournament all entrants pay a fee to take part and this is added to the prize pool, some tournaments have a guaranteed prize pool irrespective of how many players take part.
Some Tournaments cost nothing to enter and these are known as free-rolls. Some Tournaments are Qualifiers or Satellites as they are known, and these allow you to win an entry into a bigger poker tournament for a fraction of the cost.
Fixed Limit - In a Fixed Limit game both the bet and also the raise amounts for each round of betting that takes place have been preset by the poker site, hence them being called Fixed Limits.
Pot Limit - In a Pot Limit game the maximum you can bet or raise must never be more than the current amount or value of the Pot.
No Limit - As the name suggests there is no maximum amount you can bet or raise in No Limit games, and as such some huge fortunes can both be won and lost playing this type of poker.
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