Poker Games Guide – Texas Hold ‘em Poker

This book is an introduction to the poker game, emphasizing on the Texas Hold ‘em Poker, the betting structure, poker variants, poker strategy and specific poker tournaments.

The popularity of poker (mainly the no-limit Texas hold’em) reached an unprecedented peak in the 2000s. This „poker boom” is attributed to several factors: the invention of online poker, the television broadcast tournaments (with miniature cameras revealing the cards), the presentation of the online poker sites in television commercials, and victory in 2003 of Chris Moneymaker at the World Series of Poker.

Not only the public can now follow the actions of the tournaments on television, turning this game in the sporting spectacle, but it can also be played directly from home. The spread of tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour created a strong following among television program providers by cable or satellite. Because of the hype, professional players have become celebrities, with many fans around the world participating in tournaments in the hope of being confronted with these celebrities.

Poker is played in many variations but there are three large families. They differ firstly by the way of distribution of playing cards. Cards can be shared by all players or private for each player. They can also be closed (visible only by the owner of cards) or open (visible to all). There are also differences in the game base on stakes. The winning hands can be high, low or both (high/low). In some embodiments where poker is played high and low hands, certain conditions are imposed on low hands. For example, a player’s hand can not contain card over eight (eight or better), or aces can count only as high card (deuce to seven).

”Poker is a microcosm of all we admire and disdain about capitalism and democracy. It can be rough-hewn or polished, warm or cold, charitable and caring or hard and impersonal. It is fickle and elusive, but ultimately it is fair, and right, and just.” – Lou Krieger

 

CONTENTS:

Poker
– Poker popularity
– General rules
– – Aim of the game
– – Shuffling
– Table
– Card combinations
– Blinds
– – Antes
– – Blinds
– – Bring-in
– Auction
– Poker variants
– – Variants
– – Game modes
– – Games inspired of poker
– Poker practice
– – Big players
– – Big tournaments
– – Online poker
– Poker strategies
– Online poker
Poker rules
– Poker playing cards
– – Appearance
– – Composition
– – – Cardboard
– – – Plastic
– Poker hands
– – Preamble
– – – Poker playing cards terms
– – – Strengths of poker playing cards
– – Order of hand levels
– – – Royal straight flush
– – – Straight flush
– – – Four of a kind
– – – Full house
– – – Flush
– – – Straight
– – – Three of a kind
– – – Two pairs
– – – One pair
– – – High card
– High/Low
– – Skilled hands
– – Pot sharing
– – Playability
– Lowball
– – Ace to five
– – Deuce to seven
– Betting
– – Terms
– – Option of players during a round of betting
– – – Call
– – – Raise
– – – Fold
– – – Check
– – Counting facility
– – End of a betting round
– – End of the betting rounds
– Blind
– Limit
– – Games using this betting system
– – Fixed value bets
– – – Example
– – Limit of the number of revival
– – Impact on the game
– No limit
– – Example
– – Ante
– Burn cards
– – Face down burn card
– – – When burning a card
– – – Why burn a card
– – Burn card face up
– Dealer
– Showdown
– – Order and obligation to show the hands
– Buy in
– – Number of chips for a buy in
– – Right to rebuy
Poker variants
– Community card poker
– – Variant of poker including this system
– – The game is playing in three phases
– – – Flop
– – – Turn
– – – River
– – – Courchevel
– Omaha Hold’em
– – Description
– – – Rules
– – – Betting structure
– – – Remarks
– – Pot-limit Omaha
– – – Additional drawings (redraws)
– – – Strategy
– – Omaha hi-lo split-8 or better
– – Variants
– Stud
– – Five-card stud
– – – Rules
– – – Variants
– – Seven-card stud
– – – Game structure
– – – Rule details
– – – Game example
– – Razz
– Irish poker
– – Rules
– – How to play
– Five-card draw
– – Game rules
– – Blind or Pot
– – The game play in five-card draw poker
– – – A betting round
– – – Cards
– – – Second betting round
– – – End of betting rounds
– – Poker hands
– – – Straight flush
– – – Four of a kind
– – – Full house (Full)
– – – Flush
– – – Straight
– – – Three of a kind
– – – Two pair
– – – One pair
– – – High card
– – Badugi
– – Deuce to Seven
– – – The game of Deuce to Seven Triple Draw
– – – What happens if there is no enough cards for everyone?
– – – Order of combinations
– – – Advice
– – – Structure auction
– Caribbean stud poker
– – Rule of the game
– – Probabilities
– – Strategy
– – – Expected gain
– Chinese poker
– – Rules
– – – Preparation of hand
– – – Special figures
– – – Scoring
– – Examples
– – – Example 1
– – – Example 2
– – – Example 3
– Video poker
– – History
– – The game
– – – Combinations
– – Variants
– – Strategies
– – Jackpot
– – State control
Texas Hold ‘em
– Rules
– – The dealer
– – Blinds
– – Limitation of bets
– – Flop, Turn, River
– – Finalizing the game
– – Showdown
– – Burn Cards
– – Gambling money
– Strategies
– Tournaments
– Double Hold’em
– – Pot distribution
Poker strategy
– Poker probability
– – Basis of calculation and notations
– – Draw poker: Basic hands
– – – Table of probabilities of each hand
– – – Probability table to have at least …
– – Number of cards in deck
– Expected gain
– – Mathematical expectation
– – – Law of large numbers
– – – Psychological and mathematical game
– – Taking advantage of the poker hand
– – Simple sequences of betting
– – – Pair against drawing
– – – Improved pair against drawing
– – Re-raises and bluffs
– – Pot limits
– Poker game algorithm
– Head-up display
– – Utility
– – Solution
– – Generally offered statistics
– Bluff
– – Mathematics of optimal bluff
– – – Improved pair against improved draw
– – – Neutral point of bluff
– – – Benefits provided by bluffing
– – – Reason to play in neutral point
– – – Optimal rise level
– – – The cat and the mouse
– – Re-raise
– – – Fold or call (Alice rationally plays a full)
– – – Raise (shows a four of a kind or a straight flush)
Poker terminology
– Bad beat
– – Definition
– – Example
– Continuation bet
– Dead man’s hand
Poker tournaments
– Buy in and earnings
– Betting structure
– The different variants
– Tournament venues
– Major tournaments
– World Poker Tour
– European Poker Tour
– World Series of Poker
– – Winners
– – – The winners of five bracelets and more
– – Main Event Awards
– – Player of the year
– – Broadcast
References
About the author
– Nicolae Sfetcu
– – By the same author
– – Contact
Publishing House
– MultiMedia Publishing

MultiMedia Publishing
– Digital: EPUB (ISBN 978-606-9041-48-2), Kindle (ISBN 978-606-9041-50-5), PDF (ISBN 978-606-9041-49-9)