A community card poker, Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker game in tournaments and on the internet. Despite this success, and the Texas State legislature designating Robstown as it’s place of birth in the early 20th century, its true origins are shrouded in mystery.
The game spread slowly until, in 1967, a group of Texan gamblers introduced it to the down at heel delights of the Golden Nugget casino in Las Vegas. These pioneers worked hard to interest the wider card-playing public in a form of the game offering high skill levels. For the same reason, casinos were less enthusiastic about Texas Hold’em because the higher the skill in a gambling game, the lower the house advantage. It was not until 1983, when the World Series of Poker and Al Alvarez published “The Biggest Game in Town” that the game really took off.
The method of play sees each player dealt two cards face down before the dealer turns over five community cards face up. Wagers are now made while three more cards are dealt face down to the players – the flop, the turn, and the river. Players have options to check, bet, raise, or fold at each of these stages. The game then continues as normal until a player takes the pot.
The addition of community cards and the series of deals create the opportunity for subtle strategic and tactical play rarely found in most modern gambling games. The increased complexity and skill draws in serious card players and gamblers.