This is the bare-bones version, so don’t yell at me if I skip over a lot of things!

The main thing that sets Texas Hold’em apart from more traditional poker games that you might find at an online casino USA is the cards that anyone can use. By the end of the hand, there will be five of them — so obviously they can be all that you need, which is known as “playing the board” (just remember, though, if you can do it, then everybody else can too!).

Each player also gets two cards, face-down. These cards and the first three ‘community cards’ (also called The Flop) are dealt first, followed by a round of betting. Then comes The Turn (a single card to the center), another round of betting, and finally The River (an early-80s double album by Bruce Springsteen another single card). The final round of betting comes next, and if two or more players are left, The Showdown (all players show their cards and the best hand wins…or everybody ties and splits the pot. Either way.).

And that’s Texas Hold’em! You now know almost as much as most players, and possibly more than most online slots players.

Well…you should probably know that it makes a huge difference where you sit. Not that you can do much about it; sooner or later, you’ll be at each position. But as far as betting goes, the people on the left of the dealer have a much harder time of it than the people on the right. However, even that much changes depending on whether you’re on the flop or later in the game…

You should probably also know that Texas Hold’em comes in tournaments and ring games, in limit and no-limit versions, and that the people immediately to the dealer’s left are responsible for the ante, which are called blinds and come in two distinct sizes. Got at that? LOL…no worries, there’s plenty more explanation to come.