Texas Holdem is the most popular poker game being played today, as is evident in the growth of televised poker tournaments such as Bravo's Celebrity Poker and ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker . Watching poker has gained immense popularity mainly due to the technical innovations which allow spectators to view each player's hand with tiny cameras in the table, adding a higher level of drama as the action unfolds.

As more and more people have begun to watch poker games , the number of people interested in learning to play poker has increased exponentially. Poker rooms that used to be filled with old time gamblers of one primary demographic are now filled with a much more diverse pool of players consisting of all ages, ethnicities, and even genders. With the advent of online poker sites, the number of people that have access to poker games has also greatly increased. Now players from around the world can gather in virtual poker rooms, playing for fun or for real money wagers.

Texas Holdem poker games has emerged as the favorite because it's structure is particularly suited a tournament format that is both exciting to watch and play. Texas Holdem is a fast-moving version of poker that has only four betting rounds. Players are dealt only two cards, and the rest of their hand is dependent upon five community cards which all players will be able to see and share to create the highest five card hand. This makes texas holdem, like other community card poker games, primarily a game of strategy rather than luck. The key to playing texas holdem is in reading the behavior of the other players to determine what they are most likely holding, as well as understanding the basics of poker probability and odds.

How to Play Texas Holdem

Texas Holdem begins with each player being dealt two cards face down. These are the only cards each player will receive individually, and they will not be revealed until showdown. A "pre-flop" betting round then occurs, starting with the player to the left of the big blind (or the player to the left of dealer, if no blinds are used). Next, the dealer deals a burn card, followed by three face-up Community cards called the Flop, followed by a second betting round. This and all subsequent betting rounds will begin with the player to the dealer's left. After this round, a burn card and single community card called the Turn (or Fourth Street) are dealt, followed by a third betting round. Finally, a burn and a single community card called the River (or Fifth Street) are dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and Showdown if necessary.

On showdown, each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from his two downcards and the five community cards (also known as the board). A player may use both of his downcards, only one, or none at all to form his final five-card hand. If the best five-card hand he can make is to play the five community cards, then he is said to be playing the board, and is entitled to split the pot with others playing the board if no one can play a better hand. It is common for players to have closely-valued hands. In particular, Kickers often are needed to break ties (but one must be careful not to break the only-five-cards rule from Poker hand), straights often split the pot, and multiple flushes may occur (where the ranks of the cards in each flush must be counted carefully to determine a winner).

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Celebrity Poker Showdown is a weekly TV Show on Bravo, filmed at the Palms in Vegas. The show features groups of five celebrities who compete in no-limit texas holdem poker tournaments for a chosen charity, as well as the bragging rights. The winners of these pintail games go on to face each other in a final tournament, in which a portion of the winnings also go to the charity. Some of the celebrities are experienced, and some are not. It's hilarious to watch them compete against each other, and it's also set up to be instructive. One of the hosts, Phil Gordon, is a bonified texas holdem expert who teaches the audience along how to successfully play the game. He points out what the celebrities are doing right, as well as pointing out where they go wrong. The show is presented in a way that makes it easy to follow the game and learn the basic strategy.

Texas Holdem Strategies

Modified Pot Limit Hold em -- This is a great break-in game for Texas Holdem players who want to learn "big-bet" poker, but who may be too intimidated to actually sit down in a game. The modified structure means there is a cap on betting. Therefore, no player will lose more than a given amount in a single hand (but, it can still be very expensive). In a sense, this is a cross between progressive limit poker and pot-limit poker. The major strategic consideration is that the maximum bet is fixed, so bluffing is not as powerful on later streets and players may be justified in calling with weaker hands than in a normal pot-limit game without the cap.

The Flop: Once the first betting round of a real poker game has completed, the dealer lays out the first three community cards in the center of the table. This is called the flop. This betting round begins with the blinds, or the first remaining seat on the dealer's left. Checking is permitted now and for the rest of the hand. Bets are placed at the lower limit ($10 in our example). The Turn: A fourth community card it dealt onto the table. Betting begins with the blinds, as before. Now, and for the rest of this game, Bets and Raises are at the high limit ($20). As such, the turn is the first expensive street. The River: The fifth and final community card is dealt. This is also an expensive street: Bets and Raises are all at the high limit ($20). The Showdown: As in 7-Stud, the best 5 card hand wins. Players may form their final hands from any combination of the table cards and their own pocket cards, even ignoring the pocket cards and using only the table cards if they wish. One point on which Hold'Em departs from other poker games is the option for any player to see another player's pocket cards once they've been mucked. Provided the requesting player has Called or Raised the last Bet made, they simply ask the dealer and the mucked cards will be retrieved and shown.To the newcomer this move may seem incredibly invasive, especially if they come from a Draw poker background where such a move would be heresy. However, in the Hold'Em context, it's one of the few ways to gain insight into an opponent's play style. And how and when the pocket cards are played is a critical part of the game.

You want to be the only tight player in a loose holdem poker game, but often there's one or more other tight players at the table. Sometimes loose players tighten up their play for whatever reason, but that's usually temporary. You'll have to take all of this into consideration when evaluating a holdem poker game. There's no exact way to measure it, but you can develop a feel for it. Take notice of how many players call to see the flop each hand. With experience you'll know if your game is too tight and you'll know when a good game becomes too tight. You'll learn which players have never seen two cards they didn't like and which players fold more hands than they play. Experience will teach you when it's time to leave the game. Even good Texas Holdem Poker players have lost money by playing too many sessions in holdem games that were too tight to be profitable. Even if you play better poker than everyone else at the table, your expectation in a tight holdem game can be little more than break even.

Modified Limit Hold em -- This is the worst structure, by far, for the most skilled holdem players. Since the size of the maximum bet is limited only to the size of a small bet (as in Colorado) this eliminates the use of most advanced poker strategies, such as bluffing, manipulating pot size, buying free cards, and so forth. In these games, everyone flips over their cards and the best hand wins at the showdown. It's not uncommon to see four or five callers on the river in modified limit games. The reason? Bad players are not punished enough for making loose calls on later streets. Since the size of the big bet and small bet are the same, the pot frequently offers correct odds on the most outrageous draws. Unless you're playing an online poker tournament strictly for recreation, these games should be avoided in most cases (depending on the rake amount). If you do decide to play this game, you can usually play more hands than in a standard game, and you often have the correct odds to draw to many hands. But, prepare to take many bad beats.

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This is a free Texas Holdem poker resource page, providing poker strategies and tips to get your game in shape. If you're visiting to find an established online poker room, visit PacificPoker (play for free or real money) or PartyPoker

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Poker tables are intense, furious battlefields. The first time you log on and join a table just keep your cool and TAKE IT EASY. Watch and learn. And when it's your turn – take your time . On this site you'll find all the tips necessary to learn the game. Just follow them, and watch the other players. But stick to YOUR game. You'll learn to handle and read other people's play later on. Enjoy and Good Luck!

Texas Holdem Poker Rules

1. Starting hand Value
Two pocket cards, or hole cards, is what separate your hand from the other player's hand. So learning how to play them is vital. An AA (ace-ace) combo simply has a much greater chance of winning than say a 7-3 combo. Play the good starting hands. Fold the bad.

2. Position Play
Being seated in a “late position” is a huge advantage, getting to see your opponents move before you act yourself. To become a good player, one must understand this. A good starting hand in an early position may actually be a worse hand to play than a bad hand in late position.

3. Fold
No matter the betting round, if you have nothing and can't draw to anything, fold faster than Superman on laundry day. It's as simple as that.