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