What is Texas Hold’em?

There are plenty of different types poker and there is much discussion as to where the game of modern poker originated from. Many parts of the world have laid claim to having invented the coveted game including, the USA, Germany, France and former parts of Persia.

The most celebrated version of poker is definitely Texas Hold’em. The birthplace of the game was in Texas, no prizes for guessing that, but it was in the small town of Robstown that the modern game, and online sensation, Texas Hold’em was born.

The game’s popularity grew quickly in the United States, spreading to Las Vegas in the late 60’s. The Texan variant of poker was considered to allow more strategic play than the more dominant draw poker, as it allowed four betting rounds, opposed to the traditional two. Find out more and learn how to play Texas Hold’em at our poker school.

Texas Hold’em Goes Mainstream

For a period of time if you wanted to play Texas Hold’em in a casino, the Golden Nugget in Vegas was the only place to be. Sticky saw dust floors combined with a smoky atmosphere was very much the setting in the early days of Hold’em.

Suffering a little for an image problem, Hold’em failed to attract rich clients to the felt, so fans of the game sought to raise its profile.

A New Location

The now demolished Dunes Casino offered the pro poker players of Vegas, the opportunity to stage a Texas Hold'em game in the entrance of their casino. Legend has it that the passing traffic, fish as we would call them today, enabled the pros to pick up a very tidy pay check at the end of the day. However costly the event might have been to the general public foolish enough to go head to head with the sharks, the game was lifted from the sawdust floor to the casino poker room.

Time To Find Out Who’s Best | 1st WSOP

After the success of the Dunes entrance poker, it’s important to remember that Texas Hold’em was still a relatively unknown game. The first WSOP in 1970 was by invitation only, and involved only 6 players. Legend has it that they voted on the best player in the room. It wasn’t until the early 80’s with the establishment of Satellite Qualifiers that the WSOP, and Texas Hold’em popularity with it, began to grow. The Modern Day event can host up to 8000 players.

And So Goes Online Poker

The online poker boom was undoubtedly when Texas Hold’em broke into the mainstream in terms of recognition. Sites such Paradise Poker and PokerRoom.com were the first to launch real money poker, and with that move there ushered in another phase in the Texas Hold’em story. Poker moved out of the casino’s and onto the computer screens of a generation. The early 00s were an absolute wash with online poker, and leading the charge, was Texas Hold’em. We can link the massive growth of Live Tournaments such as the WSOP and Aussie Millions with the popularity of online poker, and with it, the availability of satellite qualifiers. What began as a uniquely North American phenomenon was now breaking new ground globally.

5 Minutes to Lean & a Lifetime to Master

There are many theories behind the immense popularity of Texas Hold’em, however its the game's simplicity coupled with its strategy and excitement that makes it the number one game for poker players. They say it takes five minutes to learn, and just to prove it, why not take a look at our free poker school?

Or if you are looking to master the game, check out our free poker strategy.

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