iPoker and Blackjack:
Texas Hold'em - Introduction
The Texas Hold’em popularity is due to exposure on television. At present, this poker version has taken the place of Seven Card Stud and Draw. It’s origin probably is dated back to the early 1900s and Robstown, Texas, is recognized as its birthplace. Hold’em was firstly introduced to Las Vegas at the beginning of 1970s but it experienced a surge in popularity only at the end of 1990s thanks to the game’s appearance on some television shows, such as “Late Night Poker”, and in particular when the Travel Channel broadcasted the 2003 World Series of Poker in USA.
With the worldwide diffusion of internet and the creation of gambling sites and casinos online, the Texas Hold’em has made a name for itself, so that now people usually refer to poker calling it directly Texas Hold’em or just hold’em.
English is the official language of Texas Hold’em. However, you can find a glossary at the end of this section that will help you to familiarize with its technical words.
In Texas Hold’em, like most poker games, the deck used is a standard 52 card-deck. I report below all the possible combinations from higher value to lower value.
- Royal Flush
- It’s made up of Ace-King-Queen-Jack and 10 of the same suit.
- Straight Flush
- It’s made up of the same suit not in Aces.
- Four of a kind
- It’s made up of 4 cards of the same value. i.e., 4 Aces and 4 Fives.
- Full House
- It’s a combination made up of a three and a pair.
- Flush
- It’s made up of 5 cards of the same suit not in run.
- Straight
- 5 cards in run but not of the same suit.
- Three of a kind
- 3 cards of the same value but obviously not of the same suit.
- Two pair
- 2 pairs of cards “without” a player or being situated on the board.
- Pair
- A pair made up of cards in hand or combining one card in hand which one card on board
- Higher card
- “unpaired” card that came out to be the higher one on the board
I think it’s unnecessary to describe you in detail the shape and the size of a casino board, but I want to reassure who plays online telling him or her that in real boards the number of players goes usually from 8 to 10. For this reason, it’s almost impossible to have a properly control of game only by examining the other opponents’ signs. Besides, in many cases it’s impossible to see the opponents because of the lights and their positions.
