Texas Holdem Directory

   Texas Holdem Poker

Texas Holdem Poker (also known as Texas Hold'em, or simply Holdem Poker) is the most popular and probably the easiest poker variant loved, respected and played around the world. Born in Texas saloons, it has conquered all land-based casinos, online poker rooms and became the major game for the hottest poker events such as World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour. Texas Holdem is a community card game, where all players share a set of community cards besides of their own pocket (hole) cards to form a 5-card poker hand. This is the major difference between Texas Holdem and numerous poker variants, where there are no community (board) cards and each player holds an individual hand.

Throughout the 20th century, Texas Holdem was the third, or even fourth popular game after 7 Card Stud, Omaha Holdem and 5 Card Draw. Its terrific popularity suddenly surged in 2000 due to wide exposure on TV, web and in many fashionable magazines such as Playboy, Hustler, etc. During 2000-2004 Texas Holdem has completely replaced 7 Card Stud, once most popular poker game in both American and European casinos. For the last several years, the No-Limit form of Texas Holdem is played in the worldwide televised main events of the World Poker Tour (WPT) and World Series of Poker (WSOP).

Holdem's popularity is not only based on wide exposure in mass media. Texas Holdem Poker also became the world's most popular poker variant due to its unique structure, because due to the fact that each player holds only 2 individual cards and the rest of cards (community or board cards) are shared by all players, it presents an opportune game for intellectual approach (strategic analysis and mathematical analysis). Therefore, unlike in other poker games, in Texas Holdem you can expect to win relying on your own intellectual abilities, not luck. Skilled, wise and patient player always wins in the long run. Another reason for steadily increasing popularity of Texas Holdem and its variants (Pot Limit Texas Holdem, (Fixed) Limit Texas Holdem and No-Limit Texas Holdem is availability of numerous strategy books and guides providing expert tips for proper play. Generally, these poker guides recommend tight/aggressive play, which supposes playing fewer hands (tight play) and act aggressively when you get dealt a good starting hand.

The objective of Texas Holdem Poker

In Texas Holdem Poker, just like in other poker games, individual players compete for a certain amount of chips (which represent real money) contributed by themselves. This amount of money is called the pot. Due to the fact that the players get randomly dealt hands, each player tries to take control over the pot size depending on the value of hand he holds.

Each separate Texas Holdem game (from Blind Bets and to the showdown) is divided into a series of rounds. In the end of each game one or more players get whole, or shares of the pot accordingly. Each game usually ends with the showdown, unless all but one player fold, thus abandoning their claims to the pot prior to the showdown. At the showdown, the pot is awarded to a player holding the strongest poker hand. If there is more than one player holding equally strong hands, which are the strongest hands at the table, then the pot is equally split among them.

However, the major objective of winning poker players is not just winning each and every hand, but rather making correct strategic decisions regarding how and where to act. Winning Texas Holdem players usually play less than 20% of starting hands, but always win more in the long run by maximizing their long-term winnings based on making such mathematically correct decisions and boosting their expected utility on each betting round.

Texas Holdem explosion

Since 2000 and till nowadays, Texas Holdem experienced an unbelievable surge in popularity across land-based casinos and online poker rooms across the world. Poker experts say that this happened due to several reasons including development of online poker gaming, wide exposure of major poker events and tournaments in mass media, TV, web and press ads and commercials and the victory of online qualifier in the 2003 WSOP tournament.

Today Texas Holdem auditory is mostly based on web, not in land-based casinos, because the ability to play anonymously and comparatively cheaply on web gives online poker gaming a great advantage over land-based gaming establishments hosting poker ring games and tournaments. Besides of better accessibility, online poker rooms allow people to try playing all available poker variants for free and provide an thrilling opportunity to win entries into large poker tournaments such as WSOP and WPT through satellite tournaments hosted by these rooms. This opportunity attracts even more tournament players, because both winners of the 2003 and 2004 WSOP qualified through satellite tournaments in online poker rooms.

It is obvious that future of poker is tightly bent with internet. Texasholdemdirectory.org is created to deliver you the freshest news of the industry, wide selection of quality learning materials, exclusive signup bonus codes and links to top online poker rooms, where you can learn to play all poker variants including Texas Holdem, Omaha Holdem, 7 Card Stud, 5 Card Draw, etc. Our easy and comprehensive poker articles and books will teach you how to earn serious money playing your favorite game. We provide valuable strategy articles, expert poker tips, online poker tools, poker tournaments schedule and much more. See you and good luck!