This article is about the poker game. For other uses, see Texas hold 'em (disambiguation)
Variation of the card game of 7️⃣ poker
Texas hold 'em Texas hold 'em involves community cards available to all players. Alternative names Hold 'em Type Community card 7️⃣ poker Players 2+, usually 2–10 Skills Probability, psychology, game theory, strategy Cards 52 Deck French Rank (high→low) A K Q 7️⃣ J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 (A when used in a Straight) Play Clockwise Chance Medium
Texas 7️⃣ hold 'em (also known as Texas holdem, hold 'em, and holdem) is one of the most popular variants of the 7️⃣ card game of poker. Two cards, known as hole cards, are dealt face down to each player, and then five 7️⃣ community cards are dealt face up in three stages. The stages consist of a series of three cards ("the flop"), 7️⃣ later an additional single card ("the turn" or "fourth street"), and a final card ("the river" or "fifth street"). Each 7️⃣ player seeks the best five-card poker hand from any combination of the seven cards: the five community cards and their 7️⃣ two hole cards. Players have betting options to check, call, raise, or fold. Rounds of betting take place before the 7️⃣ flop is dealt and after each subsequent deal. The player who has the best hand and has not folded by 7️⃣ the end of all betting rounds wins all of the money bet for the hand, known as the pot. In 7️⃣ certain situations, a "split pot" or "tie" can occur when two players have hands of equivalent value. This is also 7️⃣ called "chop the pot". Texas hold 'em is also the H game featured in HORSE and HOSE.
Objective [ edit ]
In 7️⃣ Texas hold 'em, as in all variants of poker, individuals compete for an amount of money or chips contributed by 7️⃣ the players themselves (called the pot). Because the cards are dealt randomly and outside the control of the players, each 7️⃣ player attempts to control the amount of money in the pot based on the hand they are holding,[1] and on 7️⃣ their prediction as to what their opponents may be holding and how they might behave.
The game is divided into a 7️⃣ series of hands (deals); at the conclusion of each hand, the pot is typically awarded to one player (an exception 7️⃣ in which the pot is divided between two or more is discussed below). A hand may end at the showdown, 7️⃣ in which case the remaining players compare their hands and the highest hand is awarded the pot; that highest hand 7️⃣ is usually held by only one player, but can be held by more in the case of a tie. The 7️⃣ other possibility for the conclusion of a hand occurs when all but one player have folded and have thereby abandoned 7️⃣ any claim to the pot, in which case the pot is awarded to the player who has not folded.[1]
The objective 7️⃣ of winning players is not to win every individual hand, but rather to win over the longer term by making 7️⃣ mathematically and psychologically better decisions regarding when and how much to bet, raise, call or fold. Winning poker players work 7️⃣ to enhance their opponents' betting and maximize their own expected gain on each round of betting, to thereby increase their 7️⃣ long-term winnings.[1]
History [ edit ]
Johnny Moss, Chill Wills, Amarillo Slim, Jack Binion, and Puggy Pearson outside Binion's Horseshoe in Las 7️⃣ Vegas in 1974
Although little is known about the invention of Texas hold 'em, the Texas Legislature officially recognizes Robstown, Texas, 7️⃣ as the game's birthplace, dating it to the early 20th century.[2]
After the game spread throughout Texas, hold 'em was introduced 7️⃣ to Las Vegas in 1963 at the California Club by Corky McCorquodale. The game became popular and quickly spread to 7️⃣ the Golden Nugget, Stardust and Dunes.[3] In 1967, a group of Texan gamblers and card players, including Crandell Addington, Doyle 7️⃣ Brunson, and Amarillo Slim were playing in Las Vegas. This is when "ace high" was changed from the original form 7️⃣ in which aces were low.[4] Addington said the first time he saw the game was in 1959. "They didn't call 7️⃣ it Texas hold 'em at the time, they just called it hold 'em.… I thought then that if it were 7️⃣ to catch on, it would become the game. Draw poker, you bet only twice; hold 'em, you bet four times. 7️⃣ That meant you could play strategically. This was more of a thinking man's game."[5]
For several years the Golden Nugget Casino 7️⃣ in Downtown Las Vegas was the only casino in Las Vegas to offer the game. At that time, the Golden 7️⃣ Nugget's poker room was "truly a 'sawdust joint,' with…oiled sawdust covering the floors."[6] Because of its location and decor, this 7️⃣ poker room did not receive many rich drop-in clients, and as a result, professional players sought a more prominent location. 7️⃣ In 1969, the Las Vegas professionals were invited to play Texas hold 'em at the entrance of the now-demolished Dunes 7️⃣ Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. This prominent location, and the relative inexperience of poker players with Texas hold 'em, 7️⃣ resulted in a very remunerative game for professional players.[6]
After a failed attempt to establish a "Gambling Fraternity Convention", Tom Moore 7️⃣ added the first ever poker tournament to the Second Annual Gambling Fraternity Convention held in 1969. This tournament featured several 7️⃣ games including Texas hold 'em. In 1970, Benny and Jack Binion acquired the rights to this convention, renamed it the 7️⃣ World Series of Poker, and moved it to their casino, Binion's Horseshoe, in Las Vegas. After its first year, a 7️⃣ journalist, Tom Thackrey, suggested that the main event of this tournament should be no-limit Texas hold 'em. The Binions agreed 7️⃣ and ever since no-limit Texas hold 'em has been played as the main event.[6] Interest in the main event continued 7️⃣ to grow steadily over the next two decades. After receiving only eight entrants in 1972, the numbers grew to over 7️⃣ one hundred entrants in 1982, and over two hundred in 1991.[7][8][9]
During this time, B & G Publishing Co., Inc. published 7️⃣ Doyle Brunson's revolutionary poker strategy guide, Super/System.[10] Despite being self-published and priced atR$100 in 1978, the book revolutionized the way 7️⃣ poker was played. It was one of the first books to discuss Texas hold 'em, and is today cited as 7️⃣ one of the most important books on this game.[11] In 1983, Al Alvarez published The Biggest Game in Town, a 7️⃣ book detailing a 1981 World Series of Poker event.[12] The first book of its kind, it described the world of 7️⃣ professional poker players and the World Series of Poker. Alvarez's book is credited with beginning the genre of poker literature 7️⃣ and with bringing Texas hold 'em (and poker generally) to a wider audience.[13] Alvarez's book was not the first book 7️⃣ about poker. The Education of a Poker Player by Herbert Yardley, a former U.S. government code breaker, was published in 7️⃣ 1957.
Interest in hold 'em outside of Nevada began to grow in the 1980s as well. Although California had legal card 7️⃣ rooms offering draw poker, Texas hold 'em was deemed to be prohibited under a statute that made illegal the (now 7️⃣ unheard of) game "stud-horse". But in 1988 Texas hold 'em was declared legally distinct from stud-horse in Tibbetts v. Van 7️⃣ De Kamp,[14] and declared to be a game of skill.[15] Almost immediately card rooms across the state offered Texas hold 7️⃣ 'em.[16] It is often presumed that this decision ruled that hold 'em was a game of skill,[17] but the distinction 7️⃣ between skill and chance has never entered into California jurisprudence regarding poker. [18]
After a trip to Las Vegas, bookmakers Terry 7️⃣ Rogers and Liam Flood introduced the game to European card players in the early 1980s.[citation needed]
Popularity [ edit ]
Texas hold 7️⃣ 'em is now one of the most popular forms of poker.[19][20] Texas hold 'em's popularity surged in the 2000s due 7️⃣ to exposure on television, the Internet and popular literature. During this time hold 'em replaced seven-card stud as the most 7️⃣ common game in U.S. casinos.[21] The no-limit betting form is used in the widely televised main event of the World 7️⃣ Series of Poker (WSOP) and the World Poker Tour (WPT).
Hold 'em's simplicity and popularity have inspired a wide variety of 7️⃣ strategy books that provide recommendations for proper play. Most of these books recommend a strategy that involves playing relatively few 7️⃣ hands but betting and raising often with the hands one plays.[22] In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Texas 7️⃣ hold 'em experienced a surge in popularity worldwide.[21] Many observers attribute this growth to the synergy of five factors: the 7️⃣ invention of online poker, the game's appearance in film and on television, invention and usage of the "hole card cam" 7️⃣ (which allowed viewers to see hole cards played in the hand as a means of determining strategy and decision-making during 7️⃣ gameplay), the appearance of television commercials advertising online cardrooms, and the 2003 World Series of Poker championship victory by online 7️⃣ qualifier Chris Moneymaker.[23]
Television and film [ edit ]
Prior to poker becoming widely televised, the movie Rounders (1998), starring Matt Damon 7️⃣ and Edward Norton, gave moviegoers a romantic view of the game as a way of life despite the poker portrayed 7️⃣ being often criticized by more serious players.[citation needed] Texas hold 'em was the main game played during the movie and 7️⃣ the no-limit variety was described, following Doyle Brunson, as the "Cadillac of Poker". A clip of the classic showdown between 7️⃣ Johnny Chan and Erik Seidel from the 1988 World Series of Poker was also incorporated into the film.[24] More recently, 7️⃣ a high-stakes Texas hold 'em game was central to the plot of the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, in 7️⃣ place of baccarat, the casino game central to the novel on which the film was based. In 2008, an acclaimed 7️⃣ short film called Shark Out of Water was released on DVD. This film is unique in that it deals with 7️⃣ the darker, more addictive elements of the game, and features Phil Hellmuth and Brad Booth.
Hold 'em tournaments had been televised 7️⃣ since the late 1970s, but they did not become popular until 1999, when hidden lipstick cameras were first used to 7️⃣ show players' private hole cards on the Late Night Poker TV show in the United Kingdom.[25] Hold 'em exploded in 7️⃣ popularity as a spectator sport in the United States and Canada in early 2003, when the World Poker Tour adopted 7️⃣ the lipstick cameras idea. A few months later, ESPN's coverage of the 2003 World Series of Poker featured the unexpected 7️⃣ victory of Internet player Chris Moneymaker, an amateur player who gained admission to the tournament by winning a series of 7️⃣ online tournaments. Moneymaker's victory initiated a sudden surge of interest in the series (along with internet poker), based on the 7️⃣ egalitarian idea that anyone—even a rank novice—could become a world champion.[26]
In 2003, there were 839 entrants in the WSOP main 7️⃣ event,[27] and triple that number in 2004.[28] The crowning of the 2004 WSOP champion, Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, a patent attorney 7️⃣ from Connecticut, further fueled the popularity of the event among amateur (and particularly Internet) players.[29] In the 2005 main event, 7️⃣ an unprecedented 5,619 entrants vied for a first prize ofR$7,500,000. The winner, Joe Hachem of Australia, was a semi-professional player.[30] 7️⃣ This growth continued in 2006, with 8,773 entrants and a first place prize ofR$12,000,000 (won by Jamie Gold).[31]
Beyond the series, 7️⃣ other television shows—including the long running World Poker Tour—are credited with increasing the popularity of Texas hold 'em.[32] In addition 7️⃣ to its presence on network and general audience cable television,[33] poker has now become a regular part of sports networks' 7️⃣ programming in the United States.[34]
Literature [ edit ]
The English journalist and biographer Anthony Holden spent a year on the professional 7️⃣ poker circuit from 1988 to 1989 and wrote about his experiences in Big Deal: A Year as a Professional Poker 7️⃣ Player. The follow-up book, Bigger Deal: A Year Inside the Poker Boom covers the period 2005–2006 and describes a poker 7️⃣ world "changed beyond recognition".[35]
Twenty years after the publication of Alvarez's groundbreaking book, James McManus published a semi-autobiographical book, Positively Fifth 7️⃣ Street (2003), which simultaneously describes the trial surrounding the murder of Ted Binion and McManus's own entry into the 2000 7️⃣ World Series of Poker.[36] McManus, a poker amateur, finished fifth in the no-limit Texas hold 'em main event, winning overR$200,000.[37] 7️⃣ In the book McManus discusses events surrounding the series, the trial of Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish, poker strategy, and 7️⃣ some history of poker and the world series.
Michael Craig's 2005 book The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King details 7️⃣ a series of high-stakes Texas hold 'em one-on-one games between Texas banker Andy Beal and a rotating group of poker 7️⃣ professionals. As of 2006, these games were the highest stakes ever played, reachingR$100,000–$200,000 fixed limit.[38]
Online poker [ edit ]
Poker revenues 7️⃣ from Party Gaming (2002–2006). The drop off in 2006 is due to the UIGEA.
The ability to play cheaply and anonymously 7️⃣ online has been credited as a cause of the increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em.[26] Online poker sites both 7️⃣ allow people to try out games (in some cases the games are entirely free to play and are just for 7️⃣ fun social experiences) and also provide an avenue for entry into large tournaments (like the World Series of Poker) via 7️⃣ smaller tournaments known as satellites. The 2003 and 2004 winners (Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, respectively) of the World Series 7️⃣ no-limit hold 'em main event qualified by playing in these tournaments.[39][40]
Although online poker grew from its inception in 1998 until 7️⃣ 2003, Moneymaker's win and the appearance of television advertisements in 2003 contributed to a tripling of industry revenues in 2004.[41][42]
Rules 7️⃣ [ edit ]
Betting structures [ edit ]
A standard hold 'em game showing the position of the blinds relative to the 7️⃣ dealer button
Hold 'em is normally played using small and big blind bets—forced bets by two players. Antes (forced contributions by 7️⃣ all players) may be used in addition to blinds, particularly in later stages of tournament play. A dealer button is 7️⃣ used to represent the player in the dealer position; the dealer button rotates clockwise after each hand, changing the position 7️⃣ of the dealer and blinds. The small blind is posted by the player to the left of the dealer and 7️⃣ is usually equal to half of the big blind. The big blind, posted by the player to the left of 7️⃣ the small blind, is equal to the minimum bet. In tournament poker, the blind/ante structure periodically increases as the tournament 7️⃣ progresses. After one round of betting is done, the next betting round will start by the person in the small 7️⃣ blind.
When only two players remain, special "head-to-head" or "heads up" rules are enforced and the blinds are posted differently. In 7️⃣ this case, the person with the dealer button posts the small blind, while their opponent places the big blind. The 7️⃣ dealer acts first before the flop. After the flop, the dealer acts last and continues to do so for the 7️⃣ remainder of the hand.
The three most common variations of hold 'em are limit hold 'em, no-limit hold 'em and pot-limit 7️⃣ hold 'em. Limit hold 'em has historically been the most popular form of hold 'em found in casino live action 7️⃣ games in the United States.[21] In limit hold 'em, bets and raises during the first two rounds of betting (pre-flop 7️⃣ and flop) must be equal to the big blind; this amount is called the small bet. In the next two 7️⃣ rounds of betting (turn and river), bets and raises must be equal to twice the big blind; this amount is 7️⃣ called the big bet.
No-limit hold 'em has grown in popularity and is the form most commonly found in televised tournament 7️⃣ poker and is the game played in the main event of the World Series of Poker. In no-limit hold 'em, 7️⃣ players may bet or raise any amount over the minimum raise up to all of the chips the player has 7️⃣ at the table (called an all-in bet). The minimum raise is equal to the size of the previous bet or 7️⃣ raise. If someone wishes to re-raise, they must raise at least the amount of the previous raise. For example, if 7️⃣ the big blind isR$2 and there is a raise ofR$6 to a total ofR$8, a re-raise must be at leastR$6 7️⃣ more for a total ofR$14. If a raise or re-raise is all-in and does not equal the size of the 7️⃣ previous raise (or half the size in some casinos), the initial raiser cannot re-raise again (in case there are other 7️⃣ players also still in the game). In pot-limit hold 'em, the maximum raise is the current size of the pot 7️⃣ (including the amount needed to call).
Some casinos that offer hold 'em also allow the player to the left of the 7️⃣ big blind to post an optional live straddle, usually double the amount of the big blind. This causes that player 7️⃣ to act as the big blind and the player has an option to raise when it comes to their turn 7️⃣ again. (Some variations allow for straddle on the button). No-limit games may also allow multiple re-straddles, in any amount that 7️⃣ would be a legal raise.[10]
Play of the hand [ edit ]
Each player is dealt two private cards in hold 'em, 7️⃣ which are dealt first.
This video shows how to deal a hand for Texas hold 'em and some of the types 7️⃣ of hands needed in order to win.
Following a shuffle of the cards, play begins with each player being dealt two 7️⃣ cards face down, with the player in the small blind receiving the first card and the player in the button 7️⃣ seat receiving the last card dealt. (As in most poker games, the deck is a standard 52-card deck containing no 7️⃣ jokers.) These cards are the players' hole or pocket cards. These are the only cards each player will receive individually, 7️⃣ and they will (possibly) be revealed only at the showdown, making Texas hold 'em a closed poker game.
The hand begins 7️⃣ with a "pre-flop" betting round, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind (or the player to 7️⃣ the left of the dealer, if no blinds are used) and continuing clockwise. A round of betting continues until every 7️⃣ player has folded, put in all of their chips, or matched the amount put in by all other active players. 7️⃣ See betting for a detailed account. Note that the blinds are considered "live" in the pre-flop betting round, meaning that 7️⃣ they are counted toward the amount that the blind player must contribute. If all players call around to the player 7️⃣ in the big blind position, that player may either check or raise.
After the pre-flop betting round, assuming there remain at 7️⃣ least two players taking part in the hand, the dealer deals a flop: three face-up community cards. The flop is 7️⃣ followed by a second betting round. This and all subsequent betting rounds begin with the player to the dealer's left 7️⃣ and continue clockwise.
After the flop betting round ends, a single community card (called the turn or fourth street) is dealt, 7️⃣ followed by a third betting round. A final single community card (called the river or fifth street) is then dealt, 7️⃣ followed by a fourth betting round and the showdown, if necessary.
In all casinos, the dealer will burn a card before 7️⃣ the flop, turn, and river. Because of this burn, players who are betting cannot see the back of the next 7️⃣ community card to come. This is done for traditional reasons, to avoid any possibility of a player knowing in advance 7️⃣ the next card to be dealt due to its being marked.[10]
The showdown [ edit ]
If a player bets and all 7️⃣ other players fold, then the remaining player is awarded the pot and is not required to show their hole cards. 7️⃣ If two or more players remain after the final betting round, a showdown occurs. On the showdown, each player plays 7️⃣ the best poker hand they can make from the seven cards comprising their two hole cards and the five community 7️⃣ cards. A player may use both of their own two hole cards, only one, or none at all, to form 7️⃣ their final five-card hand. If the five community cards form the player's best hand, then the player is said to 7️⃣ be playing the board and can only hope to split the pot, because each other player can also use the 7️⃣ same five cards to construct the same hand.[10]
If the best hand is shared by more than one player, then the 7️⃣ pot is split equally among them, with any extra chips going to the first players after the button in clockwise 7️⃣ order. It is common for players to have closely valued, but not identically ranked hands. Nevertheless, one must be careful 7️⃣ in determining the best hand; if the hand involves fewer than five cards, (such as two pair or three of 7️⃣ a kind), then kickers are used to settle ties (see the second example below). The card's numerical rank is of 7️⃣ sole importance; suit values are irrelevant in hold 'em.
Hand values [ edit ]
The following table shows the possible hand values 7️⃣ in increasing order.
Name Description Example High card Simple value of the card. Lowest: 2 – Highest: Ace (King in the 7️⃣ example) Pair Two cards with the same value Two pairs Two times two cards with the same value Three of 7️⃣ a kind Three cards with the same value Straight Sequence of 5 cards in increasing value (Ace can precede 2 7️⃣ and follow up King), not of the same suit Flush 5 cards of the same suit, not in sequential order 7️⃣ Full house Combination of three of a kind and a pair Four of a kind Four cards of the same 7️⃣ value Straight flush Straight of the same suit
Misdeal [ edit ]
If the first or second card dealt is exposed, then 7️⃣ this is considered a misdeal. The dealer then retrieves the card, reshuffles the deck, and again cuts the cards. However, 7️⃣ if any other hole card is exposed due to a dealer error, the deal continues as usual. After completing the 7️⃣ deal, the dealer replaces the exposed card with the top card on the deck, and the exposed card is then 7️⃣ used as the burn card. If more than one hole card is exposed, a misdeal is declared by the dealer 7️⃣ and the hand is dealt again from the beginning.[43] A misdeal is also declared if a player receives more than 7️⃣ two hole cards by mistake (e.g. two cards stuck together).
Examples [ edit ]
Sample showdown [ edit ]
Here is a sample 7️⃣ showdown:
Board
Bob
Carol
Ted
Alice
Each player plays the best five-card hand they can make with the seven cards available. Below is the list of 7️⃣ best hands each player has.
Bob Three of a kind: fours Carol Flush: Ace high Ted Full house: Kings full of 7️⃣ fours Alice Straight: Four to eight
In this case, Ted wins as he has the best hand (full house). If arranged 7️⃣ in order of hand strength from the strongest, it would be Ted's full house, Carol's flush, Alice's straight, and Bob's 7️⃣ three of a kind.
Sample hand [ edit ]
The blinds for this example hand
Here is a sample game involving four players. 7️⃣ The players' individual hands will not be revealed until the showdown, to give a better sense of what happens during 7️⃣ play:
Compulsory bets: Alice is the dealer. Bob, to Alice's left, posts a small blind ofR$1, and Carol posts a big 7️⃣ blind ofR$2.
Pre-flop: Alice deals two hole cards face down to each player, beginning with Bob and ending with herself. Ted 7️⃣ must act first, being the first player after the big blind. Ted cannot check, because theR$2 big blind plays as 7️⃣ a bet, and so folds. Alice calls theR$2. Bob adds an additionalR$1 to theR$1 small blind to call theR$2 total. 7️⃣ Carol's blind is "live" (see blind), so there is the option to raise here, but Carol checks instead, ending the 7️⃣ first betting round. The pot now containsR$6,R$2 from each of three players.
Flop: Alice now burns a card and deals the 7️⃣ flop of three face-up community cards, 9♣ K♣ 3♥. On this round, as on all subsequent rounds, the player on 7️⃣ the dealer's left begins the betting. Bob checks, Carol opens forR$2, and Alice raises anotherR$2 (puts inR$4,R$2 to match Carol 7️⃣ andR$2 to raise), making the total bet now facing BobR$4. Bob calls (puts inR$4,R$2 to match Carol's initial bet andR$2 7️⃣ to match Alice's raise). Carol calls as well, putting inR$2. The pot now containsR$18,R$6 from the last round andR$12 from 7️⃣ three players this round.
Turn: Alice now burns another card and deals the turn card face up. It is the 5♠. 7️⃣ Bob checks, Carol checks, and Alice checks; the turn has been checked around. The pot still containsR$18.
River: Alice burns another 7️⃣ card and deals the final river card, the 9♦, making the final board 9♣ K♣ 3♥ 5♠ 9♦. Bob betsR$4, 7️⃣ Carol calls, and Alice folds (Alice's holding was A♣ 7♣ and was hoping the river card would be a club 7️⃣ to make a flush).
Showdown: Bob shows his hand of Q♠ 9♥, so the best five-card hand possible is 9♣ 9♦ 7️⃣ 9♥ K♣ Q♠, for three nines, with a king-queen kicker. Carol shows her cards of K♠ J♥, making a final 7️⃣ hand K♣ K♠ 9♣ 9♦ J♥ for two pair, kings and nines, with a jack kicker. Bob wins the showdown 7️⃣ and theR$26 pot.
Kickers and ties [ edit ]
Because of the presence of community cards in Texas hold 'em, different players' 7️⃣ hands can often run very close in value. As a result, it is common for kickers to be used to 7️⃣ determine the winning hand and also for two hands (or maybe more) to tie. A kicker is a card that 7️⃣ is part of the five-card poker hand, but is not used in determining a hand's rank. For instance, in the 7️⃣ hand A-A-A-K-Q, the king and queen are kickers.
The following situation illustrates the importance of breaking ties with kickers and card 7️⃣ ranks, as well as the use of the five-card rule. After the turn, the board and players' hole cards are 7️⃣ as follows.
Board (after the turn)
Bob
Carol
At the moment, Bob is in the lead with a hand of Q♠ Q♣ 8♠ 8♥ 7️⃣ K♥, making two pair, queens and eights, with a king kicker. This beats Carol's hand of Q♥ Q♣ 8♠ 8♥ 7️⃣ 10♦ by virtue of the king kicker.
Suppose the final card is the A♠, making the final board 8♠ Q♣ 8♥ 7️⃣ 4♣ A♠. Bob and Carol still each have two pair (queens and eights), but both of them are now entitled 7️⃣ to play the final ace as their fifth card, making their hands both two pair, queens and eights, with an 7️⃣ ace kicker. Bob's king no longer plays, because the ace on the board plays as the fifth card in both 7️⃣ hands, and a hand is only composed of the best five cards. They therefore tie and split the pot. However, 7️⃣ if the last card is a jack or lower (except an eight, which would make a full house, or a 7️⃣ ten, which would give Carol a higher second pair), Bob's king stays in the game and Bob wins.
Strategy [ edit 7️⃣ ]
Most poker authors recommend a tight-aggressive approach to playing Texas hold 'em. This strategy involves playing relatively few hands (tight), 7️⃣ but betting and raising often with those that one does play (aggressive).[22] Although this strategy is often recommended, some professional 7️⃣ players successfully employ other strategies as well.[22]
Almost all authors agree that where a player sits in the order of play 7️⃣ (known as position) is an important element of Texas hold 'em strategy, particularly in no-limit hold'em.[1] Players who act later 7️⃣ have more information than players who act earlier. As a result, players typically play fewer hands from early positions than 7️⃣ later positions.
Because of the game's level of complexity, it has received some attention from academics. One attempt to develop a 7️⃣ quantitative model of a Texas hold'em tournament as an isolated complex system has had some success,[44] although the full consequences 7️⃣ for optimal strategies remain to be explored. In addition, groups at the University of Alberta and Carnegie Mellon University worked 7️⃣ to develop poker playing programs utilizing techniques in game theory and artificial intelligence.[45][46] In January 2024, the AAAS journal Science 7️⃣ reported that the group at the University of Alberta had succeeded in coding a computer program called Cepheus that can 7️⃣ learn from its playing experience to optimize its CFR algorithm and approach playing perfection when opposing strong players in the 7️⃣ variant known as heads-up limit Texas Hold 'em, which involves only two players. Although it does not win every hand, 7️⃣ it is unbeatable on average over a large number of hands. The program exhibits more variation in its tactics than 7️⃣ professional players do, for instance bluffing with weak hands that professional players tend to fold.[47][48][49] Public web access to observe 7️⃣ and play against Cepheus is available.[50]
Starting hands [ edit ]
A pair of aces is statistically the best hand to be 7️⃣ dealt in Texas Hold'em Poker.
Because only two cards are dealt to each player, it is easy to characterize all of 7️⃣ the starting hands. There are (52 × 51)/2 = 1,326 distinct possible combinations of two cards from a standard 52-card 7️⃣ deck. Because no suit is more powerful than another, many of these can be equated for the analysis of starting-hand 7️⃣ strategy. For example, although J♥ J♣ and J♦ J♠ are distinct combinations of cards by rank and suit, they are 7️⃣ of equal value as starting hands.
Because of this equivalence, there are only 169 effectively different hole-card combinations. Thirteen of these 7️⃣ are pairs, from deuces (twos) to aces. There are 78 ways to have two cards of different rank (12 possible 7️⃣ hands containing one ace, 11 possible hands containing one king but no ace, 10 possible hands containing one queen but 7️⃣ no ace or king, etc.). Both hole cards can be used in a flush if they are suited, but pairs 7️⃣ are never suited, so there would be 13 possible pairs, 78 possible suited non-pairs, and 78 possible unsuited ("off-suit") non-pairs, 7️⃣ for a total of 169 possible hands.[51] Suited starting hands are stronger than their unsuited counterparts, although the magnitude of 7️⃣ this strength advantage in different games is debated.[52]
Because of the limited number of starting hands, most strategy guides include a 7️⃣ detailed discussion of each of them. This distinguishes hold 'em from other poker games where the number of starting card 7️⃣ combinations forces strategy guides to group hands into broad categories. Another result of this small number is the proliferation of 7️⃣ colloquial names for individual hands.
Strategic differences in betting structures [ edit ]
Texas Hold'em is commonly played both as a "cash" 7️⃣ or "ring" game and as a tournament game. Strategy for these different forms can vary.
Cash games [ edit ]
Before the 7️⃣ advent of poker tournaments, all poker games were played with real money where players bet actual currency (or chips that 7️⃣ represented currency). Games that feature wagering actual money on individual hands are still very common and are referred to as 7️⃣ "cash games" or "ring games".
The no-limit and fixed-limit cash-game versions of hold 'em are strategically very different. Doyle Brunson claims 7️⃣ that "the games are so different that there are not many players who rank with the best in both types 7️⃣ of hold 'em. Many no-limit players have difficulty gearing down for limit, while limit players often lack the courage and 7️⃣ 'feel' necessary to excel at no-limit."[10] Because the size of bets is restricted in limit games, the ability to bluff 7️⃣ is somewhat curtailed. Because one is not (usually) risking all of one's chips in limit poker, players are sometimes advised 7️⃣ to take more chances.[10]
Lower-stakes games also exhibit different properties than higher-stakes games. Small-stakes games often involve more players in each 7️⃣ hand and can vary from extremely passive (little raising and betting) to extremely aggressive (many raises). This difference of small-stakes 7️⃣ games has prompted several books dedicated to only those games.[53]
Tournaments [ edit ]
Texas hold 'em is often associated with poker 7️⃣ tournaments largely because it is played as the main event in many of the famous tournaments, including the World Series 7️⃣ of Poker's Main Event, and is the most common tournament overall.[54] Traditionally, a poker tournament is played with chips that 7️⃣ represent a player's stake in the tournament. Standard play allows all entrants to "buy-in" for a fixed amount and all 7️⃣ players begin with an equal value of chips. Play proceeds until one player has accumulated all the chips in play 7️⃣ or a deal is made among the remaining players to "chop" the remaining prize pool. The money pool is redistributed 7️⃣ to the players in relation to the place they finished in the tournament. Only a small percentage of the players 7️⃣ receive any money, with the majority receiving nothing. "The percentages are not standardized, but common rules of thumb call for 7️⃣ one table" (usually nine players) "to get paid for each 100 entrants," according to poker author Andrew Glazer, in his 7️⃣ book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Poker.[55] A good rule of thumb is that close to 10% of players will 7️⃣ be paid in a tournament. As a result, the strategy in poker tournaments can be very different from a cash 7️⃣ game.
Proper strategy in tournaments can vary widely depending on the amount of chips one has, the stage of the tournament, 7️⃣ the amount of chips others have, and the playing styles of one's opponents.[22] Although some authors still recommend a tight 7️⃣ playing style, others recommend looser play (playing more hands) in tournaments than one would otherwise play in cash games. In 7️⃣ tournaments the blinds and antes increase regularly, and can become much larger near the end of the tournament. This can 7️⃣ force players to play hands that they would not normally play when the blinds were small, which can warrant both 7️⃣ more loose and more aggressive play.[56]
Evaluating a hand [ edit ]
One of the most important things in Texas hold'em is 7️⃣ knowing how to evaluate a hand. The strategy of playing each hand can be very different according to the strength 7️⃣ of the hand. For example, on a strong hand, a player might want to try to appear weak in order 7️⃣ to not scare off other players with weaker hands, while on a weak hand, a player might try to bluff 7️⃣ other players into folding.
There are several ways to evaluate hand strength; two of the most common are counting outs and 7️⃣ using calculators.
Counting outs [ edit ]
This method consists of counting the cards still in the deck, which in combination with 7️⃣ the cards the player already has can give the player a potentially winning hand. Such cards are called "outs", and 7️⃣ hand strength can be measured by how many outs are still in the deck (if there are many outs then 7️⃣ the probability to get one of them is high and therefore the hand is strong). The following chart[57] determines the 7️⃣ probability of hitting outs (bettering the player's hand) based on how many cards are left in the deck and the 7️⃣ draw type.
Outs One Card % Two Card % One Card Odds Two Card Odds Draw Type 1 2% 4% 46 7️⃣ 23 Inside Straight Flush 2 4% 8% 22 12 Pocket Pair to Set 3 7% 13% 14 7 One Overcard 7️⃣ 4 9% 17% 10 5 Inside Straight / Two Pair to Full House 5 11% 20% 8 4 One Pair 7️⃣ to Two Pair or Trips 6 13% 24% 6.7 3.2 No Pair to Pair / Two Overcards 7 15% 28% 7️⃣ 5.6 2.6 Inside Straight & One Overcard 8 17% 32% 4.7 2.2 Open Straight 9 19% 35% 4.1 1.9 Flush 7️⃣ 10 22% 38% 3.6 1.6 Inside Straight & Two Overcards 11 24% 42% 3.2 1.4 Open Straight & One Overcard 7️⃣ 12 26% 45% 2.8 1.2 Flush & Inside Straight / Flush & One Overcard 13 28% 48% 2.5 1.1 14 7️⃣ 30% 51% 2.3 0.95 Open Straight & Two Overcards 15 33% 54% 2.1 0.85 Flush & Two Overcards / Flush 7️⃣ & Open Ended Straight / Flush & Inside Straight & One Overcard 16 34% 57% 1.9 0.75 17 37% 60% 7️⃣ 1.7 0.66
Multiplying the number of outs by two or four (the Two Times Rule or Four Times Rule) gives a 7️⃣ reasonable approximation to the One Card % or Two Card %, respectively, in the above table.[58] For example, an open 7️⃣ straight draw on the flop has 8 outs so the odds to hit the straight on the turn is 16% 7️⃣ (8 x 2) and the odds on the river is 32% (8 x 4).
Calculators [ edit ]
Calculators are poker tools 7️⃣ that calculate the odds of a hand (combined with the cards on the table if there are any) to win 7️⃣ the game. Calculators provide precise odds but they cannot be used in live games and are therefore mostly used on 7️⃣ Internet poker games. The first known commercial poker calculator was marketed by Mike Caro. Michael Shackleford, the Wizard of Odds, 7️⃣ later made one available to the public free of charge on his website.[59]
Similar games [ edit ]
There are several other 7️⃣ poker variants that resemble Texas hold 'em. Hold 'em is a member of a class of poker games known as 7️⃣ community card games, where some cards are available for use by all the players. There are several other games that 7️⃣ use five community cards in addition to some private cards and are thus like Texas hold 'em. Royal hold 'em 7️⃣ has the same structure as Texas hold 'em, but the deck contains only Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, and Tens.[60] Pineapple 7️⃣ and Omaha hold 'em both vary the number of cards an individual receives before the flop (along with the rules 7️⃣ regarding how they may be used to form a hand), but are dealt identically afterward.[61][62] In Double Texas Hold'em, each 7️⃣ player receives 3 hole cards and establishes a middle common card that plays with each of the other cards, but 7️⃣ the outer cards don't play with each other (each player has two 2-card hands).[63][64][65] Alternatively, in Double-board hold'em all players 7️⃣ receive the same number of private cards, but there are two sets of community cards. The winner is either selected 7️⃣ for each individual board with each receiving half of the pot, or the best overall hand takes the entire pot, 7️⃣ depending on the rules agreed upon by the players.[66]
Another variant is known as Greek hold 'em which requires each player 7️⃣ to use both hole cards and only 3 from the board instead of the best five of seven cards.[67][self-published source?][68]
Manila 7️⃣ is a hold'em variant that was once popular in Australia. In Manila, players receive two private cards from a reduced 7️⃣ deck (containing no cards lower than 7). A five-card board is dealt, unlike Texas hold 'em, one card at a 7️⃣ time; there is a betting round after each card. Manila has several variations of its own, similar to the variants 7️⃣ listed above.[69]
Six-plus hold 'em (also known as Short-deck hold 'em) is a community card poker game variant of Texas hold 7️⃣ 'em, where cards 2 through 5 are removed. Each player is dealt two cards face down and seeks to make 7️⃣ his or her best five-card poker hand using from any combination of the seven cards (five community cards and their 7️⃣ own two hole cards).[70]
See also [ edit ]
