What Is Texas Holdem Poker Game And How To Play It in Australia and New Zealand

Texas Holdem Poker Game

Loyd Pelto

Author

Last Updated 20 September 2021

Texas Holdem is the most popular type of poker today, created in 1967 in the state of Texas (USA). A lot of people when saying “poker” imagine exactly Texas Holdem.

What is Texas Holdem Poker?

It is a fast-paced and addictive game that harmoniously combines luck and skill. Almost all major tournaments are held in this type of poker. This article will review the rules of the Texas Holdem poker game, the study of which will allow you to join the game and take important steps towards big winnings.

Texas Holdem Rules

The game is attended by 2 to 10 people. After all the mandatory bets have been placed, each player receives 2 cards. In the course of subsequent rounds, 5 more cards will appear on the game board. The winner is the participant who can, using two of own and five community cards, make the strongest combination of 5 cards or force all opponents to fold.

Positions at the table for Texas Holdem

The players at the Texas Holdem poker table have a certain position concerning the button. Button – a special label that indicates a particular player. After each hand, the knob moves to the next player in a circle. Thus, during the game, each participant plays from each position. The player pointed to by the button is called the Dealer or BTN. If the table is not served by the dealer, the dealer deals with his cards. The dealer makes the last move, so his position is the most advantageous because he already knows the moves of all his opponents.

Positions for a table with 10 players (full table):

Blinds (MB, SB) – 2 players to the left of the dealer (during a bet, the move is passed to the player to the left). The trading round begins with the small blind (SB).
Early position (Under The Gun, UTG) – the first three players after the dealer (UTG1, UTG2, UTG3). This position is considered the least profitable since the player has to make decisions without knowing the intentions of his opponents.
Middle Position (MP) – next 3 players (MP1, MP2, MP3).
Late position (CutOff, CO; Button, BTN) – last 2 players.

In terms of strategy, later positions in both offline and online Texas Holdem poker are considered more profitable. If player A makes a move after player B, then they say that A is in position relative to B or A has a position on B. And vice versa: B is not in position relative to A or B has no position on A.

Game process

The game of Texas Holdem poker online and offline consists of several stages, which go sequentially one after the other and form one “hand”. Let’s list them to get a general idea of the gameplay:

Ante bet – a bet of a fixed amount from each player. In most games, this bet is not placed.
Obligatory bets (Blinds). Players in the Small Blind (SB) and Big Blind (BB) positions set the size of the bet (the big blind is 2 times bigger than the small blind). Note: The term “Blind” has two meanings. The first value is the mandatory bet, the second is the player who makes this bet.
Preflop. In this round, each player deals with 2 cards. There is a trading circle, and none of the players can miss a move, since the bets (blinds) have already been made.
Flop. 3 cards are placed face-up on the table. A circle of trade follows.
Turn. Another 1 card is dealt face-up, trading is in progress.
River. The last card is dealt face-up, and the last betting round is played.
Showdown: If at least two players remain in play after the last betting round is completed, the winner or winners (if the players have equal combinations) is determined, and the pot is distributed.
The place where the Texas Holdem poker for real money goes takes some of the chips as a rake commission. If you play at home with friends, the commission is usually not taken.

After all moves are done, this hand is considered complete. The cards are dealt once more, and everything is repeated in the same sequence of classic Texas poker Texas Holdem poker.

Conclusion

Despite the simplicity of the rules, a good Texas Holdem poker Australia (same for any other country) strategy requires a set of skills, including calculating probabilities, psychology, positional play, and tracking the dynamics of bets.