Oh, I’m probably not the only person in the world to take an interest in the little ol’ game from Texas.

That’s a ridiculous understatement. I’m probably not even the only person in the world writing about Texas Hold’em right this minute!

Nevertheless, there are probably one or two people who don’t really know what Texas Hold’em is, but they’re just too shy to ask. Well, relax, because I don’t really understand it that well either. I just play the game (as well as online slots and several other online casino USA games), and I seem to have gotten better as time goes on, and I do understand a little more than I used to.

At its simplest, Texas Hold’em is a poker game where the players get two cards each, but also use the cards in the middle of the table to make a complete hand.

(you’ll find that there are ‘official’ terms as well as jargon that most serious players use, but I’ll give you the basics and let you pick the rest up as you go. No need to confuse you too much at this stage!).

The so-called ‘community cards’ start with the flop (the first three), and then a round of betting, and then the turn (a single card followed by another round), and finally the river (another single card and a last round of betting).

As with most poker games, players can check, bet, or fold during each round. Unlike some other poker games, the initial bet is (usually) divided into the big blind and the small blind. The big blind is the minimum bet, and the small blind is (usually) half of that.

Now, I’ve said “usually” twice so I suppose you’re eager to hear about the exceptions. Some Texas Hold’em games do use an ante, like a traditional poker game, in which all players contribute to the pot at the start of the hand. And even when the blinds are used, sometimes they don’t follow the standard big and small blind pattern. It all depends on the rules of the particular game you’re involved in.