Varieties of Texas Hold’em Poker
Both online and in casinos, one style of poker is the most popular. Televised events, such as PokerStars, have made Texas Hold’em a household name. Many varieties exist, but it’s important to understand the basic rules.
In this unique form of poker, each player is dealt two cards to keep in his or her hand. These are called the ‘hole cards’. Then five community cards are dealt face up on the table. This is the ‘board’, from which the players of the game must make the best hand. Only five of the total seven cards can be used to form a player’s official hand. Traditional poker hands, such as straights or flushes, are the same in Texas Hold’em as in other games.
Four main varieties of this game are used in the professional circuits. Limit Texas Hold’em is very basic, but players are limited to a pre-determined amount for each round of betting. Conversely, No Limit Texas Hold’em allows players to bet any amount they choose, including their full stack of chips. In Pot Limit Texas Hold’em, players are allowed to bet any amount, provided it does not exceed the full amount of the pot. Finally, in Mixed Texas Hold’em, rounds of Limit and No Limit online poker alternate.
Within these games, the blind amounts may also change. In No Limit, the blinds will increase with time. In Limit, the big blind is the same amount as the minimum bet and the small blind is half that amount. The different types of Texas Hold’em will affect poker players’ strategies.