There are many forms of poker. Variations of the game – of which there are at least 10 that are played quite regularly in casinos – have been developed over the years around three basic gameplay structures: draw, stud, and community poker.
These game fundamentals designate how players form their hands, either completely hidden (like in five-card draw), a combination of face-up and face-down cards (such as seven-card stud), and a combination of a player’s own hand with face-up cards (like Omaha and Texas Hold’em).
Because poker’s mid 2000s boom was based on Texas Hold’em, and the fact it remains one of the most popular forms, it’s the version of the game that’s best to learn for beginners. Not only will you definitely find a Texas Hold’em table in the casino, but you’re more likely to find friends and family who know the rules to play too.
Online poker games are often formed around Texas Hold’em tournaments with operators offering a variety of options to players such as hourly freerolls, jackpot-based buy-ins, and satellite events to access major competitions such as the Unibet Open. Similar to its appeal on TV, the sight of players seeing community cards adding visual drama to the game, the combination of your own hand with those on the table makes each round of betting a fun battle of strategy, will power and courage.
How to play Texas Hold’em
Texas Hold’em uses poker’s traditional ranking of cards to determine your hand’s strength. For example, a Royal Flush is the strongest hand possible, whereas one pair, two pair and three of a kind would be at the other end of the scale. The rounds of betting follow the opening deal (when you receive two pocket cards), the flop (when three community cards are revealed by the dealer), the turn (when the fourth community card is laid on the table) and the river (when the final card is revealed).
If you have remained in the round until the river card, you must put together your best poker hand from your two cards and three of the five cards on the table. Considerations must include how you feel the strength of your hand might stack up against your opponents, and the possible strengths of their hands based on the five community cards you can see.
Why is Texas Hold’em so popular?
Most poker rooms worldwide use Texas Hold’em as the foundation of their action. It has always had its fans but before the poker boom of the mid-2000s, when Seven Card Stud was considered the most popular form of the game, Texas Hold’em was better known amongst hardcore players on the underground scene. However, when television companies recognized the dramatic appeal of Hold’em compared to other types, more and more people were introduced to the game and, as a result, started playing it. Because it’s one of the easiest forms of poker to remember, coupled with the prevalence of tournaments online, it has remained very popular.
