Texas
Hold'em
Texas hold'em is by far the most popular form of poker played
on the Internet. Like seven-card stud, it's a game in which
the best five-card hand is made from seven available cards.
But there's a world of difference between the two games.
In Texas hold'em,
each player receives two cards dealt face down - the only
private cards to be dealt during the hand. After players
glance at them, a round of betting - the first of several
- begins. Some players drop out at this point rather than
wait for the remaining five cards.
Those remaining cards
are communal, and can be used by any player. They'll be
turned face up in the center of the table by the dealer.
Those common cards - shared by those still active in the
hand combine with each player's two private cards to form
his strongest five-card poker hand.
The mechanics of Texas
hold'em are simpler than seven-card stud: You're freed from
the drudgery of constantly asking yourself, "Which
cards did my opponents throw away?" In hold'em, all
cards you're concerned with are either in your own hand
or right in the center of the table for you and everyone
else to gaze upon - happily or wistfully, as the case may
be.
