Some people look at Texas Hold’Em like they would a business and treat the game accordingly. Personally I consider Texas Hold’Em poker a religion. No catholic, protestant or Lutheran church for me. The only church I go regularly is the Church of Texas Hold’Em.

You may not share my point of view, and that’s ok. But there is no denying that if you want there are incredible similarities between Texas Hold’Em and religion. Both have their rules and laws, both reward persistence and strict observance, and both welcome you back with open arms when you stray. If you want to play Texas Hold’Em and win you must think of it as a religion and treat it accordingly.

Frequent worship

You go to church every Sunday, don’t you? God expects you to be in church every Sunday, listening to the sermon. The god of Texas Hold’Em also demands that you worship regularly. You should set up a schedule and respect it.

There are online poker players out there that are active 19 hours per day. They play poker 19 hours each day and sleep just a few hours each day. Now, not all of us can afford to do this. Most of us have jobs, families, and friends. This is where a schedule comes in handy. This way everyone knows that each day from 7 to 9 for example you play Texas Hold’Em and you are not to be disturbed.

Play poker in a religious manner

Is that really possible? And if it is, how do we go about it? Well, the answer is simple. Expect the gods of gambling to put you to the test. Just when you think you’ve won with a big pair, your opponent will pull out a set. Your hand will be beaten on the river, you will have periods when no matter what you do you will just lose. In this time of need you will easily be tempted to give up poker altogether. But you must stay true to your poker religion and realize that things will turn around.

The god of poker will not appreciate you straying from the path or righteousness. There is no eternal damnation or fiery hell, but there is something worst:  bankroll retraction. You will always come out on top on the long run if you learn how to play poker to win and stick to what works.

Poker scriptures

You will not believe how much information there is about poker out there. Not all of it is brilliant, but if you know where to look you will find exactly what you need to know. Most of the times you must be cautious, but getting a little crazy from time to tome never hurts.

Some poker writings are as boring as watching paint dry. You will be fast asleep after reading the first two pages. Other writers have experience behind then but are unable to comprehensively communicate their ideas. I like texts that are easy to read, comprehensive, not at all boring, and communicate useful information.

So if you find this interesting maybe you should give Texas Hold’Em poker a try. The doors of The Church of Texas Hold’Em are always open.

If you are thinking to throw a party, may I suggest organizing a few poker party games to keep your guests entertained? Throw in a little variety and your party will be big hit.

Senior Poker:

If you have invited a lot of people to your poker themed party you can set up separate categories of games. The children can play silly games and the adults can play poker. Just set up a special senior poker table and you are set. You can even take it a one step further and organize a tournament.

Since children will be at the party you should make sure that they do not end up at the senior poker table. The best way to prevent children from gambling is to set an age requirement for the senior poker table.

Rummy:

We will assume that some of your guests will get tired of poker and would like to play something else. Rummy is a good choice. Traditionally you need four to six players for a game of rummy, but you can start a game with only two or three players. It is also a good choice because some of your guests will not want to gamble.

Here is another game that you can play at your next party. Deal seven cards to all the players at the table, and then place the deck on the table. Take the top card from the deck and place it on the table, next to the deck. The goal is to make matches of three like cards or three sequential cards in a deck. All the players will get a chance to place any card they want from their hand next to the card that’s placed face up and draw a new card from the deck. You can also take any card from the discarded ones. When you have a matching set you can place it on the table. The winner is the player that discards all the cards in his hand.

So keep these few tips on mind and your guests will have a blast at your next poker themed party.

These are the basic rules of Texas Hold’em

- The dealer of each hand is represented by the button, a white disk.
- After each hand, the button is rotated clockwise.

- The first two players located to the left of the button must place the blinds (forced bets) in every round. The first player must place the small blind and the second one must place the big blind. The big blind is twice the size of the small one.

- After the blinds each player will receive two faced down cards. Then a round of betting occurs starting with the player after the big blind.

- After the first round of betting has ended, the flop is dealt in the middle of the table. The flop is represented by three faced up cards. These cards are community cards and they can be used by everyone at the table.

- A second round of betting occurs after the flop. The first player to the left of the dealer, who is still in the game, will be the first to place the bet.

- Another faced up community card is dealt after this betting round. This card is called the turn.

- The third round of betting begins and after it ends the river, the fifth community card, is placed in the middle of the table.

- Another round of betting occurs, and after it ends the players who are still in the game show their cards.

- The player with the best poker hand wins. He/she can use all the seven cards (5 community + 2 hole cards) to make the best five cards poker hand.

Playing poker online is nowadays a common thing. More than that, online poker has become extremely popular and more and more poker players turn to playing poker online as opposed to playing poker in a traditional land based casino. The thing is that not all online poker players know how to play and win. Those that know how to win even give up their normal job and pursue poker professionally. After all, they can make more money this way.

Poker is a game of skill, but people still consider it a game of chance. This may be because it is played in casinos, money is involved, and a lucky draw can win you the pot. There are people out there that do not think kindly of gambling, and since poker falls into that category, they do not approve of poker either. None the less, online poker is becoming more popular with each passing day and millions of people from all over the world play this exciting game.

It is important to remember that gambling can lead to addiction. Sadly there are poker players out there that have become addicted and they really need to seek help.

Usually you have to use real money if you want to play poker and win real money in return. There are some methods that you can use so that you do not have to spend any money. I am talking about the various casino comps offered by the online casinos, comps such as bonus codes, free roll tournaments, and other bonuses. This way you can play poker, gamble, and not worry about losing your hard earned money.

If you have never played online poker you may not know what a bonus code is. Surely you have played poker in a land based casino and you know what a casino comp is. A bonus code is similar to a land based casino comp. After you get a bonus code you must use it by providing the online casino with the code. In moments your account will be credited with cash money.

The bonuses offered by the online casinos vary from 20% to 600%. Be very careful about bonuses that seem too good to be true. Usually they are nothing but scams, especially if they are offered by disreputable poker sites. You are well advised to inform yourself before choosing an online poker site. The good thing about getting these bonuses is that you do not need to spend any of your money. You are practically playing with the casino’s money. You have the chance of winning considerable amounts of money without spending a dime.

The best way to make extra money online for free is by participating in a free roll tournament. There are plenty such tournaments to choose from since there are literally hundreds of free roll tournaments every day. Not to mention that there are satellite free rolls. The prize offered is a ticket to the World Series of Poker.

If you want to play online poker and win, then you must use your poker skills and the various bonuses offered by the online poker sites. Knowing what bonuses are available and using them efficiently will help you get a better return on your money, have a lucrative session. Not to mention that you can put your skill to the test in various free roll tournaments an possibly win great sums of money.

Are you tired of playing blackjack, craps, or slots? Would you like to play a game that is not only very exciting but also very lucrative? Then why don’t you give Texas Hold’Em poker a try. But do not rush into things, do not just start playing for real money right away. Take a little time to learn the rules of the game. You can work on your poker skills by playing poker online for free. Start playing for real money only once you are confident enough that you can win.

The internet is a great place to find free Texas Hold’Em poker games, poker tips and strategies, and much more. But it is not the only place to look for a helping hand. Just by watching a televised Texas Hold’Em poker game you can pick up a few pointers.

Texas Hold’Em poker is not a difficult game to understand. But you will have to put in a little time to read and understand the rules. You will also have to work on your poker skills if you want to have enjoyable, lucrative poker sessions.

Below I have listed a few terms that are commonly used at the Texas Hold’Em poker table:

- Check - this means that no bet is placed;

- Call - this means that you wager the same amount that has is already placed;

- Raise - this means that you are increasing the wager.

- Fold - this means that you do not want to participate in that round anymore. You forfeit your hand.

- Pot - this refers to the amount of money on the table, or the jackpot.

How online Texas Hold’Em works

The dealer will give each player at the table two cards. These are hole cards. What that means is that the cards are dealt face down and only the player gets to see his cards. The minute you see your cards you know you have a winning or a losing hand. You must wager according to the cards you have. If you have lousy cards, you should fold, although most players wait and fold later on, when there is no chance that their hand can improve.

The Flop

The dealer places three cards on the table. These cards are community cards. What that means is that those three cards are dealt face up and all the players can see them and use them to better their poker hand.

The first round of betting will begin. All the players at the table will get to bet, call, raise, or even fold. The betting is done in a clockwise manner. Usually the bets placed on the flop are small.

The Turn

The dealer places one card on the table. This is also a community card.

The second round of betting will begin. All the players at the table will get to bet, call, raise, or even fold. The betting is done in a clockwise manner. Usually the bets placed on the turn are large. The bets are twice as big as the ones placed on the flop.

The River

The dealer places one card on the table. This is also a community card.

The third round of betting will begin. All the players at the table will get to bet, call, raise, or even fold. The betting is done in a clockwise manner. Usually the bets placed on the river are large.

The Showdown

The final bets are placed now. These are large bets and most players fold now. The player with the best poker hand will win.

John Theisen, a student, is the lucky winner of a recent WSOP satellite event. He competed against 110 other poker players, defeated them all, and won a $27,900 prize.

This is what John Theisen had to say: “When I saw the prize pool I knew I couldn’t miss it because I would have a great chance of making the money. My expectations were to make the top 5 so that I could make at least a couple hundred dollars”.

John started the competition in force, but as things moved along he did run into a bit of bad luck. He managed to pull out of his slump and eventually won the entire event. I guess it is true what they say: all you need is a chip, a chair, and good luck to win at poker. And John was certainly a lucky player since he managed to win $27,900.

John Theisen had this to say: “The player I was heads-up with gave me three or four horrible bad beats to take a commanding chip lead on me. Then, I had to go all-in almost immediately because the blinds were so high, and I gave him three bad beats in a row to take back the chip lead. I was very unlucky and then very lucky in the last 10 minutes of the tournament.”

The event in which John took part was a small field WSOP satellite competition. He certainly madeteh right decision when he chose a top value promotional poker game.

Chris Moneymaker was unheard-of back in 2003. He too qualified for the WSOP by participating and winning a WSOP satellite event. Most WSOP poker players did not even consider him a serious contender. This is because he had little to no live poker experience. He had only played poker online and no one considered him a serious threat. That year he dominated the WSOP and blew the competition away. He walked away with $2.5 million and started the online poker craze.

Playing in the WSOP is a common dream shared by millions of poker players. Unfortunately few of them actually pursue this dream. This is a shame because many sites offer free WSOP satellite tickets as sign up bonus. John is living proof of what you can achieve by taking advantage of these bonuses and following your dream.

In order to qualify through a WSOP satellite you do not have to finish first. Multiple tickets are offered and all you need in order to be on the next plain to Vegas is a little consistency. Just think about the thrill of playing against the best known poker players in the world and having a chance of winning that life altering prize. So tighten your game, hold on to your chips, and move on to the next round. Taking chances is not worth it. All that matters is making it to the next round and winning that WSOP ticket.