Texas Holdem – What it’s Like
You have to have been hiding in a hole if you haven’t heard of Texas Holdem. This is the most popular poker game around. Everywhere you look there are Texas Holdem tournaments. They are online, on my Meetin social group, at work, at the neighbors. There are thousands of sites on-line that have poker tournaments for all levels of players. Some you play for money, some you play for practice. There are also websites that offer special calculators and software for home parties.
Last night I went to a Texas Holdem party. It was hosted by my niece and her husband. Her dad, my brother-in-law is a huge player. He plays regularly on-line, plays with friends, has his own deluxe poker set and collects expensive poker chips. He was also at the party along with around 20 more people. I am not a poker player. I have played 5 card stud and black jack, but it’s just not my thing. It’s way too nerve wracking if you’re playing for money and just boring if you’re not.
But hey, it was a new experience and I’m all about checking out new experiences. After they figures out who was going to play, they pulled out that many playing cards. Everybody drew for where they would sit. Everyone put in $10 to start and they all received the same value of chips.
The game is played in rounds. Each round lasts 20 minutes. Only 2 players ante up at the beginning of each hand. This ante goes up in value with each round. The play is similar to 7-card draw. You are dealt 2 cards. You bet on these cards. Then 3 cards are placed face up on the table. These are communal cards. Everybody uses these card combined with the 2 initial cards you were dealt. You bet, another card is placed face up the table, you bet, then 1 final card. And the winner is the one with the best 5 cards out of 7.
Of course there are additional rules like when someone “goes all in” which means betting all the money they have left. There are lots of serious players, and many not so much. Some get too cocky, but mostly it’s a lot of luck. In the end, my niece won the tournament. The last 2 in the running were she and her husband, so lots of silliness.
As long as you don’t take it seriously, a Texas Holdem party can be just as fun as any social event. As people lost their money, they socialized with the others. The poker gives the party a purpose and makes a nice ice breaker for getting to know others.
A great website that offers beginner’s instruction, rules, strategies, blogs, how to throw a home party, plus links to everything you ever wanted to know about Texas Holdem is Texas Holdem Poker.
January 21st, 2009 at 6:39 am
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