Life and poker have many similarities. In both cases, you don’t have to be the best to win. In life, it is not always the most talented or diligent who get on top. Some people win in life either out of luck or through being smart.
In Texas hold’em, you don’t need the best cards neither do you need to be the most refined player. You can win by scaring your competitors (commonly called bluffing.) This can make them give up. Sometimes in life and also in poker, you win just because other people gave up. Your courage and resilience can make you triumph over a player who has the best poker hand.
Life Lessons
Poker offers invaluable life lessons. Winning at Texas hold’em will teach you how to handle the tough challenges of life.
You haven’t lived your life to the full until you have played Texas hold’em. To do that, you need to learn online poker tips from the pros. You can’t play poker if you don’t know the rules. Certain rules need to be followed during the game. Failure to do that will lead to you being disqualified.
Poker and life require skills. Anyone can be lucky in the short term. However, long term success requires skills. Those who play regularly end up sharpening their skills and they end up becoming better players.
Rules are Important
Whether you are playing poker for fun or competitive reasons, Texas hold’em poker rules are important. Understanding and appreciating the rules shows that you are a true poker fanatic.
Official Rules
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Buy-In
There are rules of buy-in for every poker game. There will be a minimum buy-in for the case of a cash game. A player can purchase more chips for cash games. However, for tournaments, the buy-in is only done once.
People have won thousands of dollars in competitive poker games and they have also lost a lot of money.
Life is just like poker; you need to play to win. In both, there are risks and rewards.
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The Button
According to Texas hold’em poker rules, there is a marker which is referred to as ‘the button.’ This will indicate the nominal dealer for the game. After each hand, the ‘the button’ moves. The nominal dealer is chosen by each player selecting a face-down card from the pack of cards that have been placed on the deck. The player who has the card with the highest value will become the nominal dealer.
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Blinds
Before the start of a game of Texas hold’em, two ‘blinds’ are posted. These are the big and small blinds. The small blind will be posted by the player who is sited clockwise from ‘the button.’ The small blind is normally half the call price. The player who is stationed clockwise from the player who posted the small blind will post the big blind, which is the call price.
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Cards
A player will receive two private cards. In Texas hold’em, these are called “hole cards.” They belong to the player and should be kept as hidden as possible. Apart from the hole cards, there will be five shared community cards. The community cards will be dealt face-up; they will collectively form the ‘board.’ Using the cards at hand and those that are on the ‘board,’ a player will need to come up with the best five-card poker hand.
In life just like in poker, you need to play the hand that you are dealt with.
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Playing/Betting Options
There are five major actions that you can take in Texas hold’em, they are: raise, call, bet, check, and fold. The specific alternatives that are available to you at a particular moment in time depend on the actions that were taken by players who played before you.
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Pre-Flop
After the private cards have been distributed, each player will have the option to play their hand. In the pre-flop, a player can raise or call the big blind. The live bet will start on the left of the big blind. A player can raise, call, or fold. If the big blind is $10, it will cost $10 to call, or a minimum of $20 to raise. After that, the live bet will proceed clockwise.
Betting will continue until all players who haven’t already folded place equal bets.
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The Flop
In this stage, three community cards will be dealt on the board. The player who is stationed clockwise next to the button will start betting. The alternatives for betting are the same as those for pre-flop. If no player has placed a bet, the current player can decide to pass the action clockwise to the next player.
In poker, winners attribute their victory to skills while losers blame bad luck. This is the same case with life. If you want to succeed, you need to learn new skills and work on becoming better instead of blaming everything on bad luck.
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Fourth Street
The fourth street will start after the flop has been completed. In this stage, the fourth community card is dealt face-up. Therefore, live betting will continue for another round. As with the previous stages, the betting starts clockwise from the button.
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Fifth Street
Fifth Street will begin after the fourth street. The fifth card will be placed on the board. In Texas hold‘em; this is the final community card. Betting starts clockwise from the button. The betting rules that applied in the previous steps will still apply.
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The Showdown
When the Fifth Street is completed and two or more players are remaining, the game will enter showdown. The last person who raised or placed their bet will show their cards. The other players should subsequently show their cards. The winner of the pot will be the person with the best five-card poker hand.
After a winner has been declared, a new hand can begin. The button will move clockwise to the next player.
The Bottom-Line
Texas hold’em can teach you a thing or two about life. There are Texas hold’em poker rules that have to be followed. In life, you also need to abide by certain rules to become successful. It takes time and effort to become skilled in Texas hold’em. No skill is learned overnight; there is a learning curve.