Let’s face it, if you’ve playing a game of poker at an Online Casino, at your friend’s house or frankly any other location for the past forty years or so there’s a good chance that you’ve been playing Black Jack or Texas Hold’em. Played in fact since the turn of the century, Texas Hold’em’s popularity took off following the first few World Series of Poker events in Las Vegas in the early seventies.
But if you’re not familiar with the game, here’s a brief guide to help you on your way so you won’t feel like a total beginner.
Texas Hold’em is a poker variant played between two or more people – ten is about the limit. Only one deck of cards is used and this deck is reshuffled between each hand. The dealer is rotated after every hand so each player takes his turn. In a casino game a casino dealer will do this job but a button marks the player who should be dealing. This is important because the blinds follow the dealer, first the small blind, then the big blind.
Each player is then dealt two cards and a round of betting takes place. The aim of each 
player is to obtain the best hand according to the poker hand rankings list or bluff the other players into believing you have the best hand. The final hand is made up of five cards from the two dealt to each player and the five community cards.
Following the first round of betting, if more than one player is still in the game, three community cards are dealt face up on the table – this is the flop. A second round of betting now takes place and as before, if more than one player remains, a fourth community card is dealt – the turn. A fifth community card is dealt – the river – after a third round of betting and then, if there are two or more players remaining, another round of betting. The showdown then follows with the hands being revealed.
It’s a simple game but the community cards add an element of excitement to proceedings. Check back soon for more Casino Tipps.
