Hold what exactly?

I blogged about my poker playing past, so now I'll blog a little about the present.

The days of many different poker games are gone. One style dominates - Texas Hold 'Em. We used to play a similar game when I was kid, but we called it crossroads, and it was a little more challenging actually.

Skip the next paragraph if you know Texas Hold 'Em.

In Texas Hold 'Em, everyone is dealt 2 cards. The first round of betting commences. Then the dealer shows the Flop - three cards face up in the center of the table that anyone can use to make a good hand. Another round of betting and then one more card face up called the Turn. More betting. Finally, the last card, the River, is dealt in the center of the table. So you try to make the best hand you can with the cards in your hand and on the table. Last round of betting and whoever has the best hand wins. Go here for a ranking of poker hands.

In Crossroads, the five community cards were laid face down in a cross pattern. One by one they'd be turned over. You could use any three cards in a row from the table and the two in your hand. A fun game. Maybe I'll suggest we try that next time we play Hold 'Em.

The trick to Texas Hold 'Em is betting and bluffing. You can't just hope you get the right cards - you have to be able to make people think you have the right cards. Or make 'em think you don't when you do. I've been playing Texas Hold 'Em with a group of friends (mostly theater people including greenman and kris) for the past month or so. So far I am up $55 over all the games. In fact, Sunday was the first night I lost money. I've been pretty lucky. Which is good since it's easier to justify coming home at 2 am with money in my pockets than after having lost $20.