20 Feb 2024 Beginner This material is for beginner players hand charts studying Nowadays there is a huge number of opportunities to get to the poker table. But the competition among players has increased more than ever. The reason lies in the fact that beginners in 99% of cases begin their acquaintance with poker with this discipline and rarely anyone radically changes their preferences. In this article we'll provide comprehensive information for those who want to learn Texas Holdem with ease. First of all, in the next paragraph we’ll start with its’ a historical background. Origin Story of the game Texas Hold'em is the #1 most popular card game in the world. Where, when and under what circumstances this particular type of poker originated, hardly anyone can say. Even the global site Google keeps quiet about the exact date. We can only rely on a number of historical facts that took place. It is generally believed that the first game was held in the early 1900s in the town of Robstown, Texas. In 1925, the game of Holdem found its roots in Dallas. However, it wasn't until the latter half of the 20th century that it gained prominence in the renowned gambling hub of Las Vegas, culminating in the inaugural World Championship held in 1970. The rules of Holdem evolved as a fusion of various popular poker variations prevalent at that time. The widespread American fascination with Holdem played a big role in shaping key milestones in the game's development. Before we move on to learning Texas Holdem rules, let's delve into some of the significant moments of its brief history. Timeline of events Now let’s take a look at chronology of the events: 1900-1920’s: somewhere in this time period, the first game was played, which was destined to become the most famous game on the planet, the "Cadillac of poker", as it is fondly called in its homeland. 1967: poker fever swept across Texas, and Holdem became crowded in his home state. Americans started playing card games in Las Vegas, where it was delivered by a group of local gamblers. Among them were figures like Crandall Eddington, Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim. 1968: Holiday Hotel and Casino owner Tom Moore organized the first live tournament called The Texas Gamblers. It was won by Crandell Eddington. 1970: Benny Binion organized the first ever official poker championship called the World Series of Poker. At that time only seven people participated in the tournament. The winner was Johnny Moss, who won the title of World Series of Poker Champion. 1975: The 6th season of WSOP attracted more than twenty people. The tournament was won by Brian Roberts, who received $210,000 for his first place finish. 1978: For the first time in history, a player openly admitted that he won more than a million dollars playing for money. The name of this guy was Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson — of course you’ve heard of him. The same year revolutionized the world of poker by publishing his work "Super System", in which he shared his understanding of the different types of game, including Holdem and Stud. In fact, it was with the publication of Brunson's book that poker ceased to be just a game and began to be seen as an alternative and quite profitable way of earning money. The first poker pro's appeared, and poker schools began to open, where people were taught how to earn money from the card game. A new round of history began with the invention of the World Wide Web and access to it by the general public. Holdem acquired a twin — an online version of itself. It is hard to say whether this is good or bad, because poker is first of all psychology, and therefore implies the presence of a real opponent. But nevertheless, the appearance of Holdem and other variations on the Internet is the newest history of the game. With the development of technology, poker online has become more accessible, and therefore, immediately acquired a huge number of fans. It is not surprising — you can download the application and start playing online for free. Poker always gives a lot of new opportunities — it’s only important to know how to use them wisely. What else beginners need to know at first, we will tell you in the following sections. Texas Holdem Poker Game Variations There are varieties of the same Holdem which differ among themselves by betting limits: Fixed Limit. In all rounds of betting, the bets have a set limit. No Limit. You can bet any number of chips, or you can put all chips (all-in). Pot Limit. The maximum bet is limited to the amount that is already in the pot. Mixed. Betting limits change periodically (for example, from no-limit to pot-limit or vice versa). No-Limit Texas Holdem As the name implies, this type of Holdem does not set any limits. On the one hand, it gives a chance to win an unlimited amount of money. But on the other hand, it can be a similar amount of loss. In no-limit cash games, the psychological component of poker plays an important role. You will have to deal with new opponents in each new game, which makes it impossible to develop a universal strategy. To become a successful player, you'll have to adapt your game according to other players' behavior. In order to get used to the rules of Hold'em, we recommend that you spend some time playing at the free chip tables. The good news is that most online rooms offer this option. However, you should not stay long in such a game, because here you are just playing for fun. You need to dive into a real cash game to grow. What about Limit Holdem game types? Limit Holdem was once extremely popular, but now it has become rather an entertainment for a narrow circle of gamblers. The psychological side of the game is not so important. Here it’s much easier to understand math than psychology. In Limit games, players can rely on a basic knowledge of mathematical calculations. Texas Holdem Poker Rules To start playing poker, you have to learn the rules. Let's consider the rules of the Texas Holdem format specifically. In short, the rules of the Texas Holdem game are as follows: All the players receive two cards face-down. Then, a few betting rounds happen where all the players have the opportunity to put their chips in the pot. Each round there are some new cards ("community cards") are dealt face-up. The hand continues until all betting rounds are completed, or until all but one player has folded their cards. Then, a new hand begins, and so on. The main objective of the game is to collect the best five-card combination or convince other players that you have one. At first Holdem may seem a little complicated and confusing, but it is worth just a little insight into the essence, as the picture becomes clearer and understandable. Poker combinations So, in the Texas Holdem game, you have 2 hole cards as your starting hand, and there are 5 community cards at the table. You can use all these 7 cards to build the best 5-card poker hand. It’s important to learn the poker hand rankings. Immediately memorizing them is not an easy walk, so it is better to print and keep them in front of your eyes. Especially in the morning or while playing online. Later they will be stored in your memory. For convenience we have attached a clear picture of the hand rankings: Learn more about poker combinations from our detailed article → Betting rounds There are multiple rounds of betting in the poker game. Each participant can: Bet — wager the chips; Fold — discard the cards and give up; Call — match the bet amount made before; Check — skip the action (only possible if there were no best in the current round); Raise — increase the size of a previous bet. All these actions are similar in each round. For example, if someone makes a bet, you must support it (call), otherwise you will have to fold and be eliminated from the current hand. If a poker player has bet all chips (all-in), he has no right to bet anymore. If he has leveled up, the game will continue only for those who still have chips to raise. The one who bet all-in will just wait for the end of the round, or rather for the cards to be revealed. There are 5 betting rounds in Holdem: Preflop The game begins with players being dealt two hole cards each — by the live dealer or automatic system (in online poker rooms). They are not visible to the opponents, so they are also called pocket cards or hole cards. Based on the seniority of the hands received, players begin to start the action. The rules of Hold’em imply a certain order of moves: the bidding is opened by the player located to the left of the Big Blind position, and then the move is passed clockwise. The bets go into the pot, and the next round begins. Flop The Flop is when the first three community cards are dealt. They are placed face up and participate in building potential combinations. Starting from this round, the player on the Small Blind makes the first move. Betting on the flop allows you to more accurately analyze the seniority of other players hands and make informed decisions. Turn Another round of betting is made after the release of the fourth community card — the Turn. From now on, the players have 6 cards at their disposal (including their own and community cards), which can form combinations they need. River The river is the last common card and signals the beginning of the final stage of action. Here remaining players make a choice — to bet and continue participation in the battle for the pot, or just fold their cards and wait for another round. Showdown Players show cards and see who has the best hand. The winner takes the entire pot and the next poker hand begins. As we mentioned, if the game ends in a showdown, the victory is awarded to the strongest of the collected combinations. Otherwise, the player who managed to stay in the game the longest wins the pot. If the combinations of two players are the same, the winner is determined by a higher card - so-called "kicker". Learning to play Texas Holdem is not easy walk For beginners, the rules of Hold'em may seem to you simple or on the contrary — too complicated. In any case, in order to better understand the essence of this card game, you should try to play it, focusing on the above general rules. Obviously, if you are just taking your first steps in poker, the above knowledge is important to put into practice. For example, a week is enough to know all combinations, while the aspects of betting rounds and action may take 3 to 4 weeks. However, on average, one month of active play in the chosen online poker site will be enough to make you feel more confident. If you want to save a lot of time and boost your development as a player, consider hiring an online poker coach. Probably now it's the best way to learn Texas Holdem. You can check full info about them and their services on our site. Remember that studying the secrets of the game is easy, but putting them into practice is quite another thing. Work on analytical thinking, constantly analyze everything that happens, behave carefully and be disciplined at the table. With more work, you will definitely become a confident and successful player. In the end, enjoy the process and you will succeed in what you are doing! FAQ Are trainers good for beginners? Of course. On our training site, there are specialists for players of different levels of skill. Also, you can buy courses of various aspects of Texas Holdem poker game. Should I use the software? Yes. Even the pros use poker tools and calculators to evaluate the hands they've played, identify mistakes, organize their workspace, and more. What stakes should I start to play at? We recommend micro or low stakes. It's like in a computer game — the bigger the stakes are, the harder the game is. We recommend you starting at lower limits and mix practicing and studying. Do poker rooms have free games? Yes, but not in all of them. Usually, there are several tables dedicated to this format of Holdem. What are freerolls? These are tournaments that do not require payment for participation and offer a prize pool in real money. Not a bad way to get a head — start on practicing.
