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Of all the poker games, there is one that comes out as the favorite poker game of all time, Texas Hold'em. Poker, as a whole, is loved by many card players and gamblers of all kinds. This is because of the characteristic of the game that makes it more of a game of skill rather than a game of luck. But why is it that Texas Hold'em Poker is favored among all other poker games?
There are a lot of factors that made Texas Hold'em as popular as it is today. But the most crucial of all these factors is the characteristic of the game itself. To understand the game more deeply, let us consider some of its highlights.
 A Game is Born |
There are a lot of speculations regarding the origins of the Texas Hold'em poker game. Before the fame of Texas Hold'em, poker is already played at some of the earliest gambling joints and casino. A form of the game is also played before, but it never did become as popular as the Texas Hold'em that we know today.
Gambling authorities have come to a consensus that Texas Hold'em was born sometime in the 1900s. It was recently established that Texas Hold'em came from the town of Robstown in the Lone Star State. The most fascinating feature of the game that captured the hearts of great poker players is the betting stages. You bet four times when playing Texas Hold'em, and each betting stage provides you with a better view of the outcome of your cards. This game needs skills and an analytical mind to master. Luck, of course, is still a factor, affecting only a fraction of the outcome of the game.
In 1967, the threesome composed by Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, and Crandell Addington, along with a group of tight friends introduced the world to Texas Hold'em. Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, and Crandell Addington were devoted card players and gamblers so fascinated with the game that they want Texas Hold'em to be mainstream. They took the game to Las Vegas and introduced it to the gaming society. The game was not an instant success. It took years before other casinos in Vegas offered the game.
| A little about the poker game |
Texas Hold'em is played using a five card combination. Each player will be dealt two cards called the pocket cards at every hand. There could be as many as ten players during a Texas Hold'em poker game, although it could be played shorthanded with less than ten players. The five card combination is composed using the pocket cards and the five community cards which will be dealt face up on the table, although you could actually compete by using the exact five cards dealt on the table but that would not actually do much good at an actual match. At times, the game ends and the winner announces even before the community cards are all laid out.
Another thing that would affect a player's strategy at a Texas Hold'em game is position. There are three positions that should be noted while on a Texas Hold'em table. The button is the dealer and is the one to act last during a betting round. The small blind, usually referred to as "under the gun" or UTG, is the position to the left of the button. To the left of the UTG is the big blind. Players around the table act counterclockwise, relative to the dealer at every betting round. The small blind is referred to as UTG because the player in this position needs to place a bet with any basis aside from the cards. And he needs to place a bet at every betting stage no matter what. To be fair to all players, the position is rotated at each hand.
The amount of the bet at a Texas Hold'em poker game usually depends on the small blind bet and the big blind bet. The big blind bet is usually double the small blind bet. Players could also raise the bet during or at every betting round after the small blind bet and the big blind bet has been placed.
There are four betting stages at a Texas Hol'em game, five if you include the showdown. At the start of the game, the pocket cards will be dealt and a round of betting starts. This betting round is referred to as the pre-flop betting. Take note that the hand ends when everybody, except one, has folded or a player with a better set of cards has won the showdown round. After the pre-flop is the flop. At the flop, three community cards will be dealt face up on the table. Again, take note that a card could be “burned” or skipped and set aside before the flop, in between each card during the flop, before the Turn, and before the River. This is done to avoid cheating by marking the other side of the card. After the flop, another round of betting resumes. After the flop is the Turn where a card is added to the community then the River where another card is dealt. A round of betting resumes after the Turn and the River.
After all the community cards have been dealt and the last round of betting is done, the remaining players will a have a showdown. The showdown ends when all but one player has folded or a player shows a superior set of cards among the remaining players.
| The Popularity of Texas Hold'Em |
Texas Hold'em Poker became a favored game because of its unique characteristics, but it did not become popular only because of that. Early in the 21st century, events concerning the poker gaming scene pushed Texas Hold'em to the pedestal of fame. But before the year 2000, Texas Hold'em was already well publicized and televised. It has also become a mainstream at the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
But when online poker became popular in the early 2000s, Texas Hold'em became even more known due to the ease that people could now easily access the game. Books and memorabilia were also made and incorporated into the popularity of the game. Another event that experts think caused the surge of popularity of the Texas Hold'em Poker game is the success of internet poker player, Chris Moneymaker, at the 2003 WSOP main event. This triggered poker players of varied level of skill to try their luck at prestigious poker events.
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