Hold’em or Fold’em – that’s the nature of the game. Players who limp into poker pots often find themselves in a post-flop situation where too many other players have mediocre hands. Problem is, nobody knows what anyone else is holding. If you’re out of position and you limp into poker pots, you run a greater risk. Holding 2 and 7 off suit is considered the worst hand in Texas Hold'em. They are the lowest two cards you can have that cannot make a straight (there are five cards between 2 and 7). Even if they are suited, they will make you a very low flush, and if either makes pairs, it is still a low hand. Wild Hold ‘em Fold ‘em Poker is a poker variation table game similar to Let It Ride, and one of the most popular wild card games in the casinos of Las Vegas.
Like all poker games, Hold’em has a very specific order in which the cards are dealt and played.
Hole cards
At the start of a Hold’em hand, after the two blinds have been posted, all players are dealt two cards facedown. These are known as the hole or pocket cards. Players then make a decision to call the blinds (match the big blind), raise the blinds (increase the bet) or fold (quit playing and throw their cards facedown to the middle of the table).
In the form of Hold’em known as Limit, the bets have to be of a certain specified amount. In No-Limit, players may bet any amount of their chips on the table.
If you’re a newbie to the game, you might consider this: If both of your hole cards are not 10s or greater (Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces), fold. Yes, it sounds harsh, but it’ll keep you pretty much only playing the cards that you should — and about the right frequency of hands.
Make sure not to show your hole cards to other players at the table (even if those other players are no longer in the hand). And after you’ve looked at your cards, you should protect them from being collected by the dealer by placing an extra poker chip (or some other small object) on top of them.
The flop
After the betting action is done on the round with the hole cards (also known as pre-flop), three cards are displayed by the dealer simultaneously to the center of the poker table — this is known as the flop. At this point, each player at the table has a unique five-card poker hand consisting of his two hole cards and the three community cards.
Because of the raw number of cards involved, the flop typically gives you the general tenor of the poker hand and definitely gives you a good idea of the kind of hand to look for as a winner. For example, an all-Spade flop (especially with a lot of players still in the hand) will be hinting at a flush as a strong possibility for a winner.
Betting begins with the first person still in the hand to the left (clockwise) of the dealer button. As a general rule, you want your hand to match the flop, and you should fold if it doesn’t.
In Limit play, the size of the bet you can make on the flop is identical to the amount you can make pre-flop.
The turn
After the flop betting round is completed, another community card is placed, known as the turn (or sometimes fourth street). Each of the remaining players now has a six-card poker hand made up of his two private hole cards and the four community cards. Hold’em is a game where only five cards count toward a poker hand, so everyone has a theoretical “extra” card at this point.
In Limit, the betting is now twice the amount that was bet pre- and post-flop.
Poker wags like to say, “The turn plays itself,” meaning your hand gets better and you bet it, or it doesn’t and you start giving strong thoughts to folding. This is more or less true.
The river
After the betting round of the turn, a final community card is exposed, known as the river (sometimes called fifth street).
Each player left in the game has his final hand consisting of the best five cards of the seven available (two private hole cards and the five community cards). Players may use two hole cards along with three community cards, one hole card combined with four community cards, or just the five community cards (known as playing the board). Again, poker hands are made up of the best five cards — the other two available to any given player don’t count. There is one final round of betting.
The showdown
Poker Hold Em Hands
The showdown is what happens after the final river bets have been placed. Although it isn’t formally required, typically the person who initiated the final round of betting is first to show her hand. The action then proceeds in a clockwise fashion with players either mucking their hands if they can’t beat the hand exposed, or showing a better hand (at which point the dealer mucks the old, “worse” hand and continues around the table for any remaining hands).
Winners and losers are determined by the standard poker hand rankings.
If you’re ever unclear about who is winning a hand, just turn your cards face up and let the dealer decide. Never take a player’s word on what she has in hand until you’ve actually seen her cards with your own eyes — when you muck a hand, it’s officially dead.
Texas Hold’em - The World’s Favorite Poker game
Poker Hold Em No Limit
Texas Hold’em has seen an exponential increase in popularity in the past 15 years. The boom happened in 2003, when amateur player Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker Main Event. This was historic because Moneymaker’s win pushed forward the idea that anyone could achieve poker glory. He inspired millions of players to begin playing poker online, as he had won entry into the World Series through an online qualifier. Another factor in poker’s rise to mainstream popularity, was the invention of ‘hole card cameras’ which allowed the television broadcast to show viewers the cards that each player held during the tournament. These two events, which both happened in 2003, encouraged many players to begin to play poker online. However, the game has been around for a lot longer than that. Hold’em poker was invented in Texas in the early 1900’s and was introduced to Las Vegas gambling culture in 1967. Prior to the rise of Texas Hold’em, 5 card draw was the most popular poker game. Smart players realized that Hold’em presented a greater opportunity for strategy, as it has 4 rounds of betting compared to only 2 rounds in draw poker. Since Hold’em offers more opportunity for strategy, that means that professionals had a greater advantage and therefore they heavily promoted Texas Hold’em. With the support of professional poker players, Texas Hold’em became featured in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker in 1972, and has maintained its place as the world’s signature poker game ever since. Millions of players now play poker online every day, and the vast majority of them play Poker Texas Hold’em.
Why play poker?
Poker is a game of excitement, strategy and timing. Players love poker because it offers infinite possibilities. Every situation is unique and making the right moves at the right time is a constant challenge. There is luck involved in poker, and this makes things very interesting and levels the playing field between pros and amateurs. Over the long term, the better players will win, but in one game anything can happen. This is what separates poker from other strategy games such as Chess. In Chess, the better player will win almost 100% of the time. In poker, even beginners can dream big and upset the pros. For some people, playing poker online is a hobby, for others, it’s a profession. Poker can be seen as a metaphor for life itself. The strong defeat the weak, the smart outwit the stupid and the cautious benefit from the failures of the reckless. The poker game can be infinitely complex and intellectually challenging while being fun and exciting at the same time.
The Benefits of Playing Free online poker
Deuces Wild Hold'em Fold Em Poker
There are many reasons to play poker online or live. Some players play for the joy of strategy and others simply play for the excitement of gambling. However, if you’re a beginner, the absolute best way to learn how to play poker is to play for free online you. If you’re new to poker game, you would be making a huge mistake to play for real money right away. Playing free online poker allows you to gain valuable experience without draining your bank account. Also, playing online instead of live in a casino is also a very good way to improve your game. Regardless of your experience level, playing free online poker is a good way to improve your skills, as it allows you to cut out distractions and simply focus on game strategy. When you play poker online, you don’t have to worry about hiding your emotions and keeping a ‘poker face’. Also, the advantage of being able to play from the comfort of your own home also helps to allow better focus. Another benefit of playing poker online is that you can play more than twice as many hands per hour. This is obviously a huge advantage for both beginner players trying to learn, as well as professional players trying to maximize their profits.
Unique Features of Poker Live Pro
Free Hold Em Poker
Poker Live Pro is not like other free online poker games. The game offers Texas Hold’em and Omaha in one, with authentic deep stack tournaments and all levels of cash game stakes. The multi-tabling feature is also unique for a free online poker. Multi tabling is one of the primary advantages of playing poker online, and Poker Live Pro allows you to play up to 4 tables at once! The game features a worldwide player base of millions of active users, which means that no matter what time you sit down, there will be action at the tables! You can compete against your friends, or make some new ones while you try to earn a spot on Poker Live Pro’s ‘Team Pro’. Team Pro is an exclusive club consisting of the best and most successful players on the site. Players can earn a spot on Team Pro by raking in the profits at the cash games and making deep runs in our many daily poker tournaments. There are many real money online poker games and many free games, but there are no games quite like Poker Live Pro. With Poker Live Pro, you get all the authenticity of a real money game with none of the cost, making it the best option for playing free poker online.