Published on June 20, 2003, 3:56 pm EST

Ask any poker player, and they'll tell you that the grand-daddy of all poker games is No Limit Texas Hold'em. Although there are many different types of poker played at the World Series of Poker, No Limit Texas Hold'em is what they use in the 2 million dollar final. Also, if you have watched the movie "Rounders", Texas Hold'em was the game that was played in that movie as well.

Why the attraction to this game? The answer is: many reasons. First off, the maximum eligible raise is however much you want. Normally, the World Series of Poker is decided when someone places a very large "all-in" bet, and loses. This is what happened at this year's tournament, when Chris Moneymaker won. The loser thought he had a great hand, so went all in. In a normal poker game, you couldn't do this. This is why you have to know what you are doing when playing No Limit Texas Hold'em, because you can make and lose fortunes in just a few hands.

Another positive point for Texas Hold'em is that it is a fairly easy game to learn, yet it can be infinitely challenging as well, trying to guess what cards your opponent is holding. All the players receive some common face cards .. so based on the cards already dealt, and based upon any "tells" that you can read on your opponent, you try and guess the cards that your opponents are holding, and bet accordingly.

In Texas Hold'em, each player receives two cards face down, otherwise known as the "hole cards." These cards aren't shown to your opponents until after the hand is over; and even then, if you know you have lost the hand, you may not want to show your opponent what cards that you had, so they are unable to glean any of your "tells."

Then, there comes the "flop." This is when the dealer deals 3 cards on the table that everyone uses for their hands. The "turn" is the fourth card, and the "river" is the fifth and final card that the dealer will lay on the table. After the flop, turn and the river is a round of betting .. at any time, a player can fold if they don't like their hand.

No Limit Texas Hold'em is a very fun game, but you should practise with lower amounts before raising the stakes. We recommend Party Poker as a great place to perfect your Texas Hold'em game, against real players from all around the world.

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