Texas Holdem is the world's favorite Poker game. Thanks to the recent boom in poker, millions of poker players all over the world now play Texas Holdem each and every day. The broadcast of the World Series of Poker and the invention of online poker have been the two catalysts of the poker boom. Learning how to play the game of Texas Holdem Poker only takes a minute. Here's a quick guide to how the game of Texas Holdem is played.

The Hand Starts

Each player is dealt two cards face down. Only the players in the blinds have to "ante" up. If you are not in the blinds, you can fold your hand and owe nothing. If you want to play, you must either call or raise the bet. Once all players take their turns, the flop comes.

The Flop

The dealer will deal three community cards face up. All remaining players use the community cards to make the best five card hand they can. Once the flop is dealt, another round of bets ensues. If the action is to you, you can either check, call, fold or raise. If a bet has already been made, the option of checking will removed. Once all players take their turns, the game progresses-unless one player remains, then that player is the winner.

The Turn

This round is also called fourth street. The dealer deals out one more community card. Players now have six cards to try and make the best five card hand. Once the card is dealt, another round of betting ensues. When the action is to you, you can check, call, fold or raise. As before, if someone has already bet, you can't check. A check is basically a "pass" of your turn.

The River

The final round is the River-also called fifth street. Many dreams have been realized thanks to the river card. In this round, the dealer deals the fifth and final community card. Poker players now have seven cards to try and make the best five card hand possible. Once the dealer deals the last card, the final round of betting begins.

If the round ends with more than one player remaining, the cards are shown, evaluated and the winner(s) are declared.

Note: If two or more Players have the same hand, the pot is split equally between them.

Poker Playing Tips

Improve your chances of winning at Texas Holdem with these strategies:

• Practice often. Use the free money option on Bodog Poker to practice and improve your game.
• Don't get involved with a game that's over your head. If you do, you will focus more on the money and less on the game. The end result will be you losing more money.
• If your first two cards are not that good, don't play. You should be seeing about 20-30% of flops maximum. If you have a 7 and a 2, that's a bad hand. When you have good hands, raise the bet.
• Don't forget to think about how your opponents might be doing by looking at the possible hands the community cards make.
• Don't get so attached with the money you have put into the pot that you are afraid to fold and walk away. It sure beats losing more money.
• Don't bluff too much online. It's not like poker in the real world where bluffing has a better shot at working. Play your game right.
• If you are dealt an AA, AK, KK, QQ or JJ, think about raising the pot. A good raise is 3 times the blinds. If you are in a no-limit game, think of raising a little more if the blinds are small.

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