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Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls. For users who have free, or fixed-price Internet access, Internet telephony software essentially provides free telephone calls anywhere in the world. To date, however, Internet telephony does not offer the same quality of telephone service as direct telephone connections.
{{background|community card poker}}
There are many Internet telephony applications available. Some, like CoolTalk and NetMeeting, come bundled with popular Web browsers. Others are stand-alone products. Internet telephony products are sometimes called IP telephony, Voice over the Internet or Voice over IP products.
'''Texas hold 'em''' (or simply '''hold 'em''' or '''holdem''') is the most popular of the community card [[poker]] games. It is the most popular [[List of poker variants|poker variant]] played in [[casino]]s in the western [[United States]], and its [[Betting (poker)|no-limit]] form is used in the main event of the [[World Series of Poker]] (abbreviated WSOP), as seen on [[ESPN]], widely recognized as the world championship of the game.
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Although it can theoretically be played by up to 22 players (or 23 if [[burn card]]s are not used), it is generally played with between 2 and 10 people. It is one of the most [[position (poker)|positional]] of all poker variants, since the order of betting is fixed throughout all betting rounds. Holdem is commonly played in the rest of the world as well, but [[seven-card stud]], [[Omaha hold 'em]] and other games may be more popular in some places.
[[http://www.econtact-lens.com/contact-lens.php | Contact Lens]]
[[http://www.econtact-lens.com/disposable-contact-lenses.php | Disposable Contact Lenses]]
==Rules==
[[http://www.econtact-lens.com/discount-contact-lenses.php | Discount Contact Lenses]]
[[http://www.econtact-lens.com/toric-contact-lens.php | TORIC Contact Lenses]]
The descriptions below assume a familiarity with the general [[Poker game play|game play]] of poker, and with [[poker hand]]s. For a general introduction to these topics, see [[Poker]], [[Poker hand]], [[Poker probability]], and [[Poker jargon]].
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[[http://www.flooring-guide.org/flooring.php | Flooring]]
===Play of the hand===
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[[http://www.flooring-guide.org/pergo-flooring.php | Pergo Flooring]]
Play begins with each player being dealt two cards face down. These are the player's ''hole cards''. These are the only cards each player will receive individually, and they will only (possibly) be revealed at the [[showdown (poker)|showdown]], making Texas holdem a [[closed (poker)|closed]] poker game. The hand begins with a "pre-flop" betting round, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind (or the player to the left of the dealer, if no blinds are used) and continuing [[clockwise]]. After the pre-flop betting round, the dealer deals a [[burn card]], followed by three face-up [[community card (poker)|community card]]s called the [[flop (poker)|flop]]. The flop is followed by a second betting round. This and all subsequent betting rounds begin with the player to the dealer's left and continue clockwise. After the flop betting round ends, another card is burned, and a single community card called the [[turn (poker)|turn]] (or fourth street) is dealt, followed by a third betting round. A final burn card is followed by a single community card called the [[river (poker)|river]] (or fifth street), followed by a fourth betting round and the [[showdown (poker)|showdown]], if necessary.
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[[http://www.flooring-guide.org/tile-flooring.php | Tile Flooring]]
''See also: [[Texas hold 'em hands]]''
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[[http://www.tattoos1.com/tribal-tattoos.asp | Tribal Tattoos]]
===Betting structures===
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[[http://www.tattoos1.com/celebrity-tattoos.asp | Celebrity Tattoos]]
In casino play, it is common to use a [[fixed limit (poker)|fixed limit]] and two [[Betting (poker)#Blinds|blind]]s. The limit for the first two rounds of betting is called a ''small bet'', while the limit for the third and fourth betting rounds is called a ''big bet'' and is generally double the small bet. The ''small blind'' is usually equal to half of a small bet, and the ''big blind'' is equal to a full small bet. (In some cases, the small blind is some other fraction of a small bet, e.g. $10 is a common small blind when the small bet is $15; this occurs mainly in [[brick and mortar]] rooms where higher-denomination chips are used. The ''double-blind'' structure described above is relatively recent; until the [[1980s]], a single-blind structure was most common.)
[[http://www.tattoos1.com/fairy-tattoos.asp | Fairy Tattoos]]
[[http://www.tattoos1.com/butterfly-tattoos.asp | Butterfly Tattoos]]
Occasionally, the fourth bet is larger still (a ''big river bet''), and the big blind is sometimes less than the small bet, in which case it is treated the same way a sub-minimum [[bring-in (poker)|bring-in]] is treated in [[stud poker]]. [[Ante]]s may be used instead of, or in addition to, blinds; this is especially true in [[Poker tournament|tournament]] play. The game also plays very well at the no-limit level, and many tournaments (including the above mentioned World Series championship event) are played with this structure.
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===The showdown===
If a player bets and all other players fold, then the remaining player is awarded the pot and is not required to show his hole cards. If two or more players remain after the final betting round, a [[showdown (poker)|showdown]] occurs. On the showdown, each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the seven cards comprising his two hole cards and the board (the five community cards). A player may use both of his own two hole cards, only one, or none at all, to form his final five-card hand. If the five community cards form the player's best hand, then the player is said to be ''playing the board''.
If the best hand is shared by more than one player (e.g. if no player is able to beat the board), then the [[pot (poker)|pot]] is [[split (poker)|split]] equally amongst all remaining players. However, it is common for players to have closely-valued, but not identically ranked hands. In particular, [[kicker (poker)|kicker]]s are often needed to break ties. Nevertheless, one must be careful in determining the best hand, because often the board nullifies kickers. (See the second example below.) Straights often split the pot, and multiple flushes may occur. In the case of flushes, the flush is awarded to the player with the highest flush card which completes a flush and beats the board's flush cards. If there is a flush on board, (i.e. if all the board cards are the same suit), then ''under cards'' in that suit do ''not'' play, and if no one has a card in the flush suit beating the board, then the pot is split. The sole exception to this rule is the case of a [[straight-flush]].
The best possible hand given the five community cards is referred to as [[nut hand|the nuts]]. The lowest possible nuts is three queens (this occurs with, for example, 2 3 7 8 Q on the board, with no more than two cards of any one suit).
==Examples==
===Sample showdown===
Here's a sample showdown:
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" | Board<br>'''4♣ K♠''' <font color=red>'''4♥'''</font> '''8♠ 7♠'''
|-
| Alice<br>'''<font color=red>5♦ 6♦</font>'''
| Bob<br>'''A♣ <font color=red>4♦</font>'''
| Carol<br>'''A♠ 9♠'''
| Ted<br>'''<font color=red>K♥ K♦</font>'''
|}
Each player plays the best 5 card hand they can make with the 7 cards available. They have:
{| class="wikitable"
| Alice
| '''8♠ 7♠ <font color=red>6♦ 5♦ 4♥</font>'''
| 8-high straight
|-
| Bob
| '''4♣ <font color=red>4♥ 4♦</font> A♣ K♠'''
| Three 4's, A and K kickers
|-
| Carol
| '''A♠ K♠ 9♠ 8♠ 7♠'''
| A-high flush
|-
| Ted
| '''K♠ <font color=red>K♥ K♦</font> 4♣ <font color=red>4♥</font>'''
| Full house
|}
In this case, Ted's full house wins.
===Sample hand===
Here's a sample deal involving our four players. The players' individual hands will not be revealed until the showdown, to give a better sense of what happens during play:
'''Compulsory bets:''' Alice is the dealer. Bob, to Alice's left, posts a small blind of $1, and Carol posts a big blind of $2.
'''Pre-flop:''' Alice deals two hole cards face down to each player, beginning with Bob and ending with herself. Ted must act first because he is the first player after the big blind. He cannot check, since the $2 big blind plays as a bet, so he folds. Alice calls the $2. Bob adds an additional $1 to his $1 small blind to call the $2 total. Carol's blind is "live" (see [[blind (poker)|blind]]), so she has the ''option'' to raise here, but she checks instead, ending the first betting round.
'''Flop:''' Alice now burns a card and deals the flop of three face-up community cards, '''9♣ K♣ <font color=red>3♥</font>'''. On this round, as on all subsequent rounds, the player on the dealer's left begins the betting. In this case it is Bob, who checks. Carol opens for $2, Ted has already folded and Alice raises another $2, making the total bet now facing Bob $4. He calls (puts in $4, $2 to match Carol's initial bet and $2 to match Alice's raise). Carol calls as well, putting in her $2.
'''Turn:''' Alice now burns and deals the turn card face up. It is the '''5♠'''. Bob checks, Carol checks, and Alice checks; the turn has been ''checked around''.
'''River:''' After burning, Alice deals the final river card, the '''<font color=red>9♦</font>''', making the final board '''9♣ K♣ <font color=red>3♥</font> 5♠ <font color=red>9♦</font>'''. Bob bets $4, Carol calls, and Alice folds (Alice's holding was '''A♣ 7♣'''; she was hoping the river card would be a club to make her a flush).
'''Showdown:''' Bob shows his hand of '''Q♠ <font color=red>9♥</font>''', so the best five-card hand he can make is '''9♣ <font color=red>9♦ 9♥</font> K♣ Q♠''', for three 9's, with K and Q kickers. Carol shows her cards of '''K♠ <font color=red>J♥</font>''', making her final hand '''K♣ K♠ 9♣ <font color=red>9♦ J♥</font>''' for two pair, K's and 9's, with J kicker. Bob wins the showdown and the pot.
===Kickers and ranks===
Here's another situation that illustrates the importance of breaking ties with kickers and card ranks, as well as the use of the five-card rule. After the turn, the board and players' hole cards are as follows (though none of the players know each other's hole cards):
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" | Board (after the turn)<br>'''8♠ Q♣ <font color=red>8♥</font> 4♣'''
|-
| Alice<br>'''10♣ 9♣'''
| Bob<br>'''<font color=red>K♥</font> Q♠'''
| Carol<br>'''<font color=red>Q♥ 10♦</font>'''
| Ted<br>'''J♣ 2♣'''
|}
At the moment, Bob is in the lead with a hand of '''Q♠ Q♣ 8♠ <font color=red>8♥ K♥</font>''', making two pair, Q's and 8's, with K kicker. This just beats Carol's hand of '''<font color=red>Q♥</font> Q♣ 8♠ <font color=red>8♥ 10♦</font>''' by virtue of his kicker. Both Alice and Ted are hoping the final card is a club, which will make them both a flush, but in that case, Ted would have the higher flush and win the showdown. For example, if the final card was the '''7♣''', Ted's flush would be Q-J-7-4-2, while Alice's would be Q-10-9-7-4. Alice could still win, though, if the final card were the '''<font color=red>J♦</font>''', as that would give her a Q-high straight. On this deal, however, the final card was the '''A♠''', which didn't help either of them. Bob and Carol still each have two pair, but notice what happened: both of them are now entitled to play the final A as their fifth card, making their hands both two pair, Q's and 8's, with A kicker. Bob's K no longer plays, because the A on the board plays as the fifth card in both hands, and a hand is only composed of five cards. They therefore split the pot.
==Starting hand terminology and notation==
There are (52 × 51)/2 = 1,326 distinct possible [[combination]]s of two hole cards from a standard 52-card deck. However, since suits are only relevant for flushes, many of these hands are indistinguishable from the point of view of pre-flop strategy. In fact, considering suits to be equivalent unless both cards are the same suit, there are precisely [[169 (number)|169]] distinct possible starting hands in holdem. [http://www.math.sfu.ca/~alspach/art3.pdf]
As an example, although '''<font color=red>J♥</font> J♣''' and '''<font color=red>J♦</font> J♠''' are distinct combinations of hole cards, they are indistinguishable as starting hands. Any starting hand comprising two jacks is called ''[[Hole (poker)|pocket]] jacks'' and is denoted JJ. Similarly, any starting hand comprised of two aces is called ''pocket aces'' and is denoted AA, and any starting hand comprised of two sevens is called ''pocket sevens'' and is denoted 77. Each of these starting hands is called a ''pocket pair''.
The starting hands which are not pocket pairs fall into two classes – the ''suited'' hands and the ''unsuited'' hands. An example of a suited hand is '''8♠ 7♠'''. Any starting hand comprised of an 8 and a 7 of the same suit is called ''8-7 suited'' and is denoted 87s, where "s" is an abbreviation for "suited". An example of an unsuited hands is '''Q♣ <font color=red>9♦</font>'''. Any starting hand comprised of a Q and a 9 of different suits is called ''queen-nine offsuit'' and is denoted Q9 (or sometimes Q9o, where "o" is an abbreviation for "offsuit"). Remember, an "s" always denoted a suited starting hand, while the absence of an "s" always denotes an offsuit starting hand.
In almost all poker writing, the rank of "10" is abbreviated with the letter "T", so that all the ranks can be written with a single character, unless cards are featured pictorially when "10" is often used.
Consecutive cards of the same suit are called ''suited connectors''. Many starting hands have colloquial names. A full list would be quite long, but some examples are "Big Slick" for AK, "Fish Hooks" for JJ, "Dolly Parton" for 95 (a reference to the film "9 to 5") and "Doyle Brunson" for T2 (Brunson won two WSOP bracelets with this hand, which would ordinarily be considered a weak starting hand).
==Texas hold'em in popular culture==
In [[1998 in film|1998]], the movie ''[[Rounders (movie)|Rounders]]'' starring [[Matt Damon]] and [[Edward Norton]] gave moviegoers a romantic view of poker as a way of life. Texas Hold'em was the main game played during the movie and the no-limit variety was described as the "Cadillac of Poker". There was also a clip of the classic showdown between [[Johnny Chan (poker player)|Johnny Chan]] and [[Erik Seidel]] from the [[World Series of Poker, 1988|1988]] [[World Series of Poker]] incorporated into the film.
CommanderBond.net reports that the centerpiece card game in the next James Bond film, ''[[Casino Royale (2006 film)|Casino Royale]]'', will be no-limit Texas Hold 'em instead of [[Baccarat]] as in the original [[Ian Fleming]] novel. <sup>[http://commanderbond.net/cw.cgi?action=Story&SID=2931]</sup>
===Hold 'em as a spectator sport===
Hold 'em first caught the public eye as a spectator sport in the [[United Kingdom]] with the [[Late Night Poker]] TV show in 1999. The popularity of the show led to [[Phil Hellmuth]] competing in season 3 of the program and helping to spread the idea of [[lipstick camera]]s to an American audience.
In [[2003]], hold 'em exploded in popularity as a spectator sport in the [[United States]]. This was due to several factors, including the introduction of lipstick cameras that allowed the television audience to see the players' hidden cards. [[ESPN]]'s coverage of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) featured the unexpected victory of [[Internet]] player [[Chris Moneymaker]] (his real name), an amateur player who gained admission to the tournament by winning a series of online tournaments. Two additional hold 'em series debuted in 2003, the "[[World Poker Tour]]" (abbreviated WPT) and "[[Celebrity Poker Showdown]]". All three of these shows are still currently (as of 2005) in production and garner a large and loyal viewership.
With the ability to edit a tournament that may last days into just a few hours, ESPN's World Series of Poker focuses on showing how various star players fared in each event. Key hands from throughout the many days of each event are shown, and similar, highly edited coverage of final tables is also provided.
The World Poker Tour does not offer general coverage of the multi-day poker tournaments. Instead, WPT covers only the action at the final table of each event. With aggressive play and increasing blinds and antes, the important action from a single table can easily be edited into a two hour episode. Although the tournament fate of fewer stars are chronicled this way, it allows the drama to build more naturally toward the final heads up showdown.
Celebrity Poker Showdown coverage is a single table like World Poker Tour, however, the players are invited to participate instead of winning their way on. Because the players are much less skilled and aggressive, significant editing is often done to trim the action to fit the broadcast time.
==Bibliography==
* {{Book reference | Title = Poker: The Real Deal | Author = [[Phil Gordon]] and [[Jonathon Grotenstein]] | Publisher = Simon Spotlight Entertainment | Year = 2004 | ID = ISBN 0689875908}} The poker lifestyle, strategies, and great anecdotes from the tables.
* {{Book reference | Title = Winning Low-Limit Hold-em | Author = [[Lee Jones]] | Publisher = Conjelco | Year = 1994 | ID = ISBN 1886070156}} An introduction to lower limit game play.
* {{Book reference | Title = Hold 'em Poker | Author = [[David Sklansky]] | Publisher = Two Plus Two Publications | Year = 1996 | ID = ISBN 1880685086}}
* {{Book reference | Title = Small Stakes Hold'em | Author = [[Ed Miller]], David Sklansky and [[Mason Malmuth]] | Publisher = Two Plus Two Publications | Year = 2004 | ID = ISBN 1880685329}} A book discussing all facets of "small stakes games", i.e. games in which many players play too many hands, and too many bad hands, too far.
* {{Book reference | Title = Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players | Author = David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth | Publisher = Two Plus Two Publications | Year = 1999 | ID = ISBN 1880685221}} This book contains a thorough discussion of strategies which apply to middle- and high-limit games involving players who generally play soundly.
* {{Book reference | Title = Middle Limit Holdem | Author = [[Bob Ciaffone]] and [[Jim Brier]] | Publisher = Bob Ciaffone | ID = ISBN 0966100743 | Year = 2002}}
* {{Book reference | Title = The Theory of Poker | Author = David Sklansky | Year = 1989 | Publisher = Two Plus Two Publications | ID = ISBN 1880685000}}
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