TEXAS HOLD’EM

You’ve just been dealt a pocket pair of aces and its 120,000 dollars to you to call. As you play with the huge stack of chips in your corner you contemplate weather risking it all and put your opponent out of the game is worth a chance to double your chip count and win the world poker tour! With out much hesitation you say the three infamous words of a man with balls, “I’m all in!”

The drama surrounding Texas hold’em is what has made this poker game an addictive past time event. Going all in and putting every signal chip on the line is always risky no matter what pocket cards you are dealt. The rush felt when you slide all of your chips to the center of the table is indescribable, even when you only play for $20.00 with a couple of friends, which is my typical poker night.

In 1998 when the movie Rounders came out staring Matt Damon and Edward Norton; I had never even heard of Texas hold’em. Standard Poker games were never of interest to me and I always considered games that lied heavily on luck to be plan stupid. I’m more of an intellectual card player and I have always enjoyed the challenge of deciding my fate in a game based on strategy and technique. It wasn’t till about 2 years ago that I started playing Texas Hold’em on a regular basis.

Texas Hold’em is much different than the normal poker games like Five-card draw and Seven-card stud. Analyzing the information on the table and formulating a strategy is just as important in the game as is luck of the draw.