Texas Hold'em

[Shellhead]

I played poker with friends way back in the day, but I'm surprised by all the enthusiasm for Texas Hold'em these days. It seems like a really dumbed down version of poker, with slightly complicated betting but less opportunity for bluffing. But maybe I'm missing some specific entertaining aspect to the game, because some of my friends here are fanatical about playing every week, and my old friends back in Indiana are equally into the game.

[Serik]

I've never liked Texas Hold'em myself. I'm a Five-card draw kind of guy.

But all of my friends are the same way: they'd rather play Hold'em than Stud or any other superior card game :D

[jessecuster3]

I play all the time and I can tell you there is way more opportunity to bluff than any other form of poker. As far as the popularity on TV, first of all it is faster than any other form and the amounts that they play for are so astronomical its almost like winning teh lottery every time they watch.

This all really took off in 2003 when Chris Moneymaker, an ordinary guy who was an "everyman" spent $39 on ionline tournament and then just kept winning and winning until he won the World Series and $2.5 Million. Thus every guy(or girl) who plays in a game at their or someonelses house had hopes and dreams of doing what Moneymaker did. this really lead to the explosion of texas hold'em and specifically No Limit. No Limit is what adds all the drama to the game as at any moment you can push all of your money into the pot at once.

[scratchie]

I haven't played it a lot, but I think the main attraction to it is that everybody is playing off of (mostly) the same cards. Far from dumbing it down, this actually a more "concentrated" form of poker that favors better players (because it's much harder to get lucky). You're almost never going to be able to bluff out a straight by pretending you have a flush because there are much fewer possibilities on each hand (i.e., you can't pretend you have a flush if there aren't three of the same suit showing on the table). It makes it that much more important to take advantage of every good hand (either a high hand or a "bluffable" hand) because you're going to get much fewer lucky breaks.

Does that make any sense?

[glue]

I play all the time and I can tell you there is way more opportunity to bluff than any other form of poker. As far as the popularity on TV, first of all it is faster than any other form and the amounts that they play for are so astronomical its almost like winning teh lottery every time they watch.

This all really took off in 2003 when Chris Moneymaker, an ordinary guy who was an "everyman" spent $39 on ionline tournament and then just kept winning and winning until he won the World Series and $2.5 Million. Thus every guy(or girl) who plays in a game at their or someonelses house had hopes and dreams of doing what Moneymaker did. this really lead to the explosion of texas hold'em and specifically No Limit. No Limit is what adds all the drama to the game as at any moment you can push all of your money into the pot at once.

I'd say the showing of hold cards also played a big role in it's TV popularity. Didn't an amatuer (Varkonia or something) win the year before Moneymaker?

[jessecuster3]

I'd say the showing of hold cards also played a big role in it's TV popularity. Didn't an amatuer (Varkonia or something) win the year before Moneymaker?

Yeah but Varkonyi was a professional, Moneymaker was no different from you or I and began the string of "amateurs" winning huge amounts. But yes the "lipstick" camera really revolutionized the game.

[Gozwald73]

bah it's just Manilla with fancy-pants names.