1.
Poker Texas Hold'em
A guide to the game

2.
Do you like money?
Would you like to be famous?
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3.
Poker is a game of odds. Like horse races, like sporting
bets, we play odds. We play the odds of having the best
hand, made with a fixed number of cards, against the
odds of other player having one worst. The difference, to
other gambling kind of games, where you bet odds, is
that in this game each player influences the outcome of
the game, not staying related to an external general
result.
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4.
To play poker, or to start to learn, we must understand, in
the first place what defines the evaluation of something.
The cards and their values, which are the base of the
game, of each color, go from 2 to 10, followed by the Jack
(J), Queen (Q), King (K) and the Ace (A). The Ace has a
double value in the evaluation and differentiating the
hands, which we will see next. There are 4 the suits, or
colors, which we play with, and which are Spades, Hearts,
Clubs and Diamonds.
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5.
Next we must understand what makes two hands
different from each other, yet without mentioning game
dynamics, which I explain now.
The following ranking goes from the lowest hand to the
highest one, and the higher wins to the lower one.
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6.
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The lowest possible hand, any 5 cards, without any facial
value, like 7, King or Ace, two alike, or without any
possible sequence, be it in number or suit. Wins who has
the highest card, or the second, or third, forth, fifth, or in
case of a tie. More than 5 cards it is called a tie.

7.
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A pair, plus any other 3. Two cards with the same face
value, like Queen (Q), Queen (Q), wins who has the higher
pair, or else, in case of similar pairs, the best high card of
the 3 remaining ones.

8.
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Two pairs, one pair of a value and another of another
different value. Wins who has the highest pair, or in case
of same high pair the second highest pair, or even the
highest card in case of the same two pairs.

9.
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Set or Trips. Three cards with the same facial value, like
three fours (4). Wins the highest set or the highest card in
case of same sets.

10.
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Straight. Five cards of straight facial value, like 2,3,4,5 e 6
and of more than one suit. Wins the highest straight.
Because we use 5 cards to make a hand, there is no space
for a highest card, therefore wins the highest straight.

11.
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Flush. Five cards, non consecutive, all from the same suit.
Wins the highest flush, or following card in case of a tie.

12.
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Full House. A group of a set and a pair.Wins the highest
set or in case of tie the second highest pair.

13.
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Poker. All four cards of the same facial value. Wins the
highest poker or in case of a tie the highest card.

14.
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Straight Flush. Five consecutive cards all of the same suit.
Wins the highest straight flush.

15.
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Royal Straight Flush. Highest possible hand of the
straight flush, has the specificity of going from the 10 to
the Ace, being therefore the Royal Straight in the suit.
It is only the highest straight possible, not being a
different hand from the previous by itself, just the card's
face value.

16.
Special note: The Ace is a card with double face value. It
serves us both for the highest straight, from the 10 to the
Ace, either suited or not, as for the lowest straight, from
the Ace to the 5, either suited or not. Therefore it can be
in both edges of the cards scale or evaluation, like from
the Ace to the King, or like from the 2 to the Ace, like we
need to accomplish our hand. It can have both values at
the same time.
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17.
Game dynamics
The game is played with a minimum of 2 players, to a maximum,
nowadays, of 10, each table. With 2 players it is called heads-up,
just one against the other. Up to 6 players it is called short-
handed and with 7 or more long table or long-handed, despite
not having that name, usual, because, «by rule» that is the way it
is played, and the others the exceptions.
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18.
Game dynamics
Each player starts with a previously defined amount of chips
that are being bet all over the game, and are used as a currency
in the game. Chips have fixed values, which can be, or not, be
replaced has the game goes through by the Dealer.
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19.
Game dynamics
There's a player, by turn, always to the left at the moment the
hand is played, which is called the Dealer and that in casinos is
just identified by a disc at his front, being the cards dealt by a
real professional dealer. At his left there is the first player, which
is called Small Blind, and that pays only half of a bet previously
set before the game started, without seeing any cards, so that
the game has dynamics and to have money in the pot.
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20.
Game dynamics
At his left, at the left of the first player, there is the second player
counting from the dealer, which is called Big Blind. This one
pays the total value of the bet, or twice of the small blind, value
also set previously, like, for example, $0,5 e $1 each one.
To starters, as a footnote, values usually go from $0,01 e $0,02
up to $0,05 and $0,1. They are called micro-stakes, also the
lowest game levels. To starters there are also free tournaments,
with money prizes, called freerolls.
(More information in the end)
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21.
Game dynamics
The game by itself is the ability of getting the 5 best cards,
combining them or not, with our two (pocket cards) and the 5
comunity cards, which are in the table and are used to improve
every player's hand, therefore, from 7 cards total, winning the
best 5 cards or up to all players fold except one player.
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22.
Game dynamics
To accomplish that any player receives from the dealer 2 cards,
called pocket cards. In this moment the blinds place their chips
(bets) in the table, no mater which cards they had received.
Because they are forced to place their bets their name in the
game is the blinds.
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23.
Game dynamics
Always to the left each player from the big blind sees his cards
and decides if he wants to play or not. If he doesn't want to play,
to fold, each player drops his cards. In case he wants to play he
pays the big blind or, in case he thinks that not only wanting to
play, that he also has to very good starting cards, like 2 Kings, 2
Aces, an Ace and a King, Ace and Queen, he decides if he wants
to raise, paying at least twice the amount of the big blind.
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24.
Game dynamics
Continuing to the left, the remaining players decide, after
seeing their cards, if they should or not remain in the game, and,
if so, they should pay the highest amount in the table to keep in
the game, or, in case they think they have even a greater game
they decide to raise that amount, always by a blind, at least, or
twice the largest bet, depending on the poker room or casino.
This is up to place where the game is held.
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25.
Game dynamics
All following players, by the left, decide what to do considering
the game that is going on, up to the last one, which is the big
blind, either calling, the highest amount, to do a call, or to fold,
to give up. The players in the blinds just have to pay the rest of
the money, in case of raises, or, if no one raises up to him, the
Big Blind, he doesn't have to pay anymore to keep in the game
because they had already payed the blinds in the beginning.
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26.
Game dynamics
This is the fact that makes poker interesting, because it allows
always to have money in the pot to be interesting to chase it.
The bets proceed until all agree, either bet or fold, either bet or
call. When all players have «speaked» and reached agreement
the game proceeds to the next card draw. If every player but
one remains, all folding up to him, he wins this round and gets
the pot in the table.
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27.
Game dynamics
The money left in the pot goes to the player left, either, in the
first case, to the player left, or, in the other case, to the player in
the big blind, because no one calls him, despite having or not a
good game, because they didn't entered the game. In this
round of betting I must just add that the big blind is the last
player speaking, because all bets started in the player at his left.
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28.
Game dynamics
Lastly, in the case that all the players have just called the value
of the Big Blind bet, the one in the Big Blind seat can just check,
free, because he had already payed the blind by default. It also
sets that all those players that called go the next round.
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29.
Game dynamics
In the following rounds, if the game goes on to those rounds,
the dealer gives to the players 3 comunity cards, placed in the
center of the table. Technically, one card is «burned» between
each round, before the cards are dealt, being the cards given
from the top of the deck, therefore only burning the card in the
beginning of the next round, like now, for example.
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30.
Game dynamics
This next 3 cards are called flop. Each player, along with his
cards, has, in this moment, at least 5 cards, from which he can
then set the path to follow. For example, if he holds in his pocket
cards two spades, and in the flop 2 other appear, or even 3, he
has a draw, with 2 of them, or already a flush. So, at this
moment he can already have his hand made.
This one, or for example, if he has a pocket pair and 1 or 2 other
cards of the same face value appear in the flop, he can already
have a set or even a poker.
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31.
Game dynamics
According to what the player thinks he holds, always after from
first player at the left of the dealer and playing that round, we
go to the next round. That first player has the following options,
check, bet, or even to fold, which is not profitable, because of
the check action is free, and even, in the case of all players in the
hand to check, to see another free card in the next round. Here
the dynamics is similar to the previous one.
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32.
Game dynamics
This next round is called river. If one player bets, thinking or not
that he has «game», the others, according to what they have,
they decide if the call, which is to call the previous bet, or even
raise, with all the previous rules, and even, in case they think it
is not profitable, to fold. Like in the previous round the game
proceeds with the players still active after the agreement of all
players in the betting round. Be that agreement to all fold but
one, winning that the pot money at the moment, or, to go to the
next betting round if all call or check all the bets.
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33.
Game dynamics
In the last round the process is similar. This is called the river.
From the players still in game there is a new betting round after
the dealer had burned another card, like he did in the flop and
turn, giving the last community card to the players. Like before,
wins the player left if all fold, or, now, in case of all still playing
call to see what the others have, after agreeing in all bets, like,
one player bets x and the others call, and we go to the
showdown, which is the act of showing the pocket cards and
see, after all, who wins the pot. The one winning takes all there
in the pot in chips, in the common pot that was growing since
the early bets in the beginning of the hand.
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34.
Game dynamics
If in any moment, since the beginning, places all his money at
stakes, he is now in all-in mode, which he will be in until
showdown but without interfere in the following betting
rounds, just to other players in the game who payed his all in
amount, and, from there, a new pot is created, with the extra
bets that are made after the money in the all-in pot. It is called a
side pot, where the first player, the all-in one, won't participate,
only thoses that contributed to that pot. Each player can never
win from another player more than he betted against him. He
can win that from several players, like 50 from 3 players if he
betted 50, 150, not 150 from one against a 50 bet.
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35.
Game dynamics
At showdown, which at least 2 active players will see, the one
all-in and at least the one that had payed his bet, it will decide
then who wins the hand. In case of victory from the player that
did the all-in, this one wins the primary pot, having nothing to
do with possible side pots. In case of victory from any of the
other players, the first one looses his position at the game
loosing all his chips he betted, being eliminated, and the victory
in the hand of one of the other players, either one or more.
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36.
Lasty, game modes and variants. Poker is played in the
cash game, or ring game which are tables played with
chips corresponding to money, with the previously
mentioned stakes and where each player exchanges his
money for chips, enters and leaves a table as he would
like, either winning or not any money, and with the
money currently in his possession. There are also the
Sit'n'Go tournaments, or mini tournaments, which starts
as soon as 2, 6 or 9/10 people sits at one or more table,
acording the tournament rules.
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37.
There are also tournaments, which are the ones we see in
TV, where players, like in the SnG pay a preset value,
which corresponds to x chips, winning who is left with all
the chips in play. There are tournaments, called re-buy
and/or add-on where you can buy again some more
chips, or add some chips to the ones you already have.
Big tournaments get to have thousands and thousands of
dollars or euros. They start at a previous set date and
time, unlike SnG which start as soon as full.
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38.
As mentioned earlier, that are also freeroll tournaments,
which allow beginners to start making their own bank so
that they can play in money tournaments, with buy-in, or,
to go to cash tables. This tournaments are like the other
ones in everything, like money in the prizepool, except a
lot less, being a good way to start at poker.
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39.
Poker has lots of variations, like Omaha, in which player
gets 4 pocket cards, instead of 2, and it is all like Hold'Em,
except the particularity of the need of using 2 out of the 4
pocket cards in any hand that is made, even if the
community cards allow a better hand, always 2 from the
pocket cards must be used to be elegible to win it.
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40.
I just play Hold'em, however here are some links so that
you can start searching more around about the game, in
case you want to.
http://HoldUs.Blogspot.com (portuguese)
http://www.PokerPt.com (portuguese)
http://www.FullTiltPoker.com
http://www.PokerStars.com
And also the links throughout the presentation for real
free cash!!! No deposit or anything required!
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