Dear Mark,
I like five-card draw poker, but have not found
a game here in Reno. Is Texas Hold'em the same game?
Catherine B.
Though
five-card poker, and several variations of it, is well
established on any video poker machine, you will not
find your favorite kitchen table game of 5-card draw
spread in most casinos or poker rooms. A kissin' southern
cousin, is Texas Hold'em, probably the most popular
poker game played in casino poker rooms. It's the game
that is used to determine the world champion at the
World Series of Poker.
The contrast is that Texas Hold'em is a "community
card"
game, meaning that
some cards cards are dealt face-up in the middle
of the table and shared by all the players. Each
player has two down cards that are the player's
alone; and those are combined with the five community
cards to make the best possible five-card hand.
The best five-card poker hand-a canny combination
of the player's two private cards and the five communal
cards-is the winner.
If you want to give Hold'em a try, Catherine, I
had better mention the "skill" factor.
Though Texas Hold'em is deceptively simple to learn,
playing the game at a proficient level does take
some expertise. If you are innocent of such wayward
skills, you can start your training head-to-head
against a cyber video opponent who does not blow
smoke in your face or tell off-color jokes. Then
when you are good enough, go beat up on the smoke-'n-joke
set.
