Why Is It Called Texas Hold Em
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A Texas Hold'em Analogy | |
Deep D is a lot like poker in three significant ways:
Information: As I turn to head deep and hear that 'up' call, I need to get a read on the disc as quickly as possible. I definitely take a look, even if it loses me a small bit of speed. Personally, if that throw is a footrace, then I am likely to lose anyway…especially if they have a step or two on me. Then again, if every throw was perfectly out in front, then it would be like playing 1-card draw; you win or lose based on your raw speed everytime. And I got dealt a 3 of diamonds a long time ago. But throws aren't reliable or consistent, and there are lots of other ways to win. If I can make a quicker read than my opponent, I can win many of the discs that are too short (since I turn on them quicker if I recognize it early) and I have a better chance at discs that are turned in the win (where recognizing spin and speed can help me to pin the other player and use the win to take it away from both of us). I need that information as soon as I can. Reading the disc is surprisingly accurate, even in a short amount of time. With a glance, I feel like I can pretty safely put my head down and run to a good spot. At U of Oregon, we used to play a game where we would huck the disc into the air, then close our eyes and run to a spot after watching for the first half-second. We did the same thing for shorter throws indoors…with no wind, you can catch 2–3 out of 10 20-yard throws with your eyes closed, if you can read it for the first 3 feet of the flight. Getting the right early read is something you can practice. Additionally, if the 'up' call was wrong or if the disc is partially blocked then I can react more quickly if I see it first. The Hand You Are Dealt: Once I see the disc in the air, I have a good idea of how likely it is that I should win. If it is a smaller, slower player and I have a good chance of catching up to a hanging throw, then I should be able to make the play. I'm more likely to try for a catch-block, more conscious of preventing a foul by keeping clear, and more likely to wait to go so that I don't give up an easy catch by misreading. The better athlete that I am against, or the worse the throw/position situation…the more likely that I am going to want to bid early or try to win by position. I can take some risks, or make a read on the disc based on what it might do. For example, if the disc is coming in with some wind, and I think that there is a 1/5 chance that it might hang for longer…I might try to pin the other player so that I win those 20% of discs IF I think they are likely to beat me more than 80% of the time if I make a normal play. Occassionally, this leads to what seems like a very poor read, and a good athlete makes an easy catch. Even flat-footed. I get posterized sometimes. Losing and looking bad, to me, is no different from losing and giving a handsome, respectable effort. But occassionally I will get a block against someone I have no business blocking, by playing against those odds. An aside…my horror situation: Getting an awesome read and position against a much better athlete. Not that this is a terribly situation, numbers-wise (I just hate having the other player own control of the outcome). At Nationals in 2004, I made the break of my life to a disc in the corner while guarding Bailey Russell (Pike). I went up with a good read and tried to stay wide in the shoulders to keep him away. It felt like a sure block, until he jumped fully around me the wrong way to come down with a goal. He made it look easy, and made me look silly. The scariest second of my life was poaching onto a huck in the semis in 2007 and knowing that, somewhere, Damien was behind me and coming as his top speed (with the understanding that his 'slow' is faster than my 'fast'). As I went up, I had absolutely no clue whether or not this was going to be Bailey all over again. Luckily, I stuck to my read and, as it happens, Damien is about 14 yards faster than me on a 40 yard sprint…but he isn't 15 yards faster. This is my version of a huge bluff, when the other player has the ability to call or fold; your life is in their hands. It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over: Play the thing out. You never know when a great athlete is going to bobble the disc, and your hustle might put you in position to knock it away. Catch every block you can (how many times have you ever tried to catch a block, and had it MAC up and get caught? Now, how many times have you had this happen when you swiped at it? The math comes out huge on the side of the catch-block attempt). If you jump, and miss, try to land ready to jump again. They might have missed as well, and it might be the second jump that gets you there. Just because you have the best hand, you don't start grinning and throwing chips at the pile…do the work. You may have the worst possible hand, but don't go out unless you are forced to pay to keep going. You never know which hand you might win. |
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In Texas Hold’em, the person who starts or goes first is dependent on what stage of the hand being played. Before the flop, the first person to act is the player seated directly to the left of the Big Blind. This seat is often referred to as Under The Gun (UTG). After the flop, the first person to act is the player seated in the Small Blind (SB) position. Thereafter, the order stays the same for the rest of the hand through the Flop, Turn, and River.
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What Is the Exact Order of Play?
What Is Texas Hold'em
The order of play is based on how the players are seated at the table. There are typically 6 seat names in poker. UTG (also known as first position) is divided up into multiple seats (UTG, UTG+1, UTG+2) for games larger than 6-handed.
Here is what a 6-max poker table looks like. In the chart, the seats are called Under The Gun (UTG), the Hijack (HJ), the Cutoff (CO), the Button (BTN), the Small Blind (SB), and the Big Blind (BB).
Pre-Flop Order
Before the flop, the last player to act is always the Big Blind.
On a 6-handed table, the order of play would be UTG, HJ, CO, BTN, SB, BB. Once the first player acts, play continues around the table in a clockwise fashion until it reaches the Big Blind, who acts last on the first round.
On a 9-handed table, the order of play would be that the UTG starts followed by UTG+1, UTG+2, UTG+3, HJ, CO, BTN, SB, BB.
Post-Flop Order
Why Is It Called Texas Hold Em
On the Flop, Turn, and River, the last player to act is always the Button.
Accordingly, on a 6-handed table, the post-flop order of play would be the SB starts followed by the BB, UTG, HJ, CO, and BTN.
Are There Any Exceptions?
The post-flop order never changes. However, the pre-flop order of play can be slightly altered if there is a player who straddles. A straddle is when the player seated just to the left of the Big Blind (usually UTG) posts a double big blind bet in front of him prior to the cards being dealt.
Essentially, he is buying the right to act last before the flop. In the case of a straddle, the person seated just to the left of the “straddler,” goes first pre-flop once the straddle has been wagered.
What Is the Dealing Order?
The first person to act after the flop is also the first person to receive a card; the small blind. The easy way to remember this is that the dealer must always deal clockwise to his or her left.
Who Goes First in Heads-Up Play?
The pre-flop order also changes in a heads-up match. Instead of the Button acting last before the flop, he or she acts first instead. The easy way to remember it is that the Big Blind always goes last before the flop. And, in the case of heads up, the Button is the Small Blind, and therefore acts before the Big Blind player.
During post-flop, nothing changes heads up. The button still acts last, even though technically he or she is the Small Blind.
Dealing Order For Heads-Up Play
In heads-up play, the Big Blind is dealt to first and the Button 2nd. The button always receives the last card when dealing no matter how many players are seated at the table.
What’s the Order of Play Three-Handed?
The same rules apply whether there are 3 players or 10. Before the flop, the player to act first is just to the left of the big blind. In the case of three-handed play, that would be the button. After the flop, the small blind acts first as always.
Who Bets First?
After the flop and before action is opened, any player can perform one of two actions. They can either bet or check. Of course, the person who acts first has the first option to bet.
When Does a Poker Hand End?
There are a couple of ways that a poker hand can end. First, someone can bet and all the other players fold. This can happen on any street. The second time a hand can end is when the action closes on the river and showdown is achieved. In the latter case, all live hands are revealed and the winner is determined.
Who Shows Their Cards First at Showdown?
Once the hand has ended on the river and showdown has been achieved, the order that each player reveals their hand is exactly the same as the post-flop betting order. The first person to reveal is always the first person to the left of the Dealer and the last person to reveal is the player on the button.
Of course, if a player only has to show their hand if they want to. Many players will choose to “muck” or throw away their hand instead of showing if they are sure they have no chance of winning the hand at showdown. This is sometimes a wise choice in order to not give away information about your hand.
Is It Better to Act First or Last?
Being in position (acting last) is much better than being out of position (acting first) in poker. Poker is an informational game and the person that gets to act last has more information than everyone else. I wrote a detailed article on position; check it out for more details.
What Is the Best Position at a Poker Table?
Since we have established that acting last is most advantageous in poker, the Button would be the best seat at the table. However, in reality, the seat name is irrelevant, as long as you are acting last. Therefore, let me refine my definition slightly: the best seat in poker is any seat that has you acting last in the current hand on the current street. For example, if it is blind versus blind after the flop, then the player in the Big Blind has the best seat possible for that hand.
Why Is It Called the Dealer Button?
When poker began the players had to deal the cards. In order for everyone to get equal opportunity to share the burden of dealing, the moving dealer button was born. Today, in casinos and even in some home games, there are dedicated dealers to speed up play, enforce the rules, and lessen the likelihood of cheating.
Why Do the Blinds Act Last Before the Flop?
The exact reason that the blinds act last before the flop has been lost to history. However, one could deduce that the reasoning is simple. Since the blinds are the only players to pay to play a particular hand, it only makes sense that they should be rewarded by being given an informational advantage via acting last. This theory is bolstered by the existence of “straddles” where one can essentially “buy” position before the flop.
Who Goes First in Pot Limit Omaha?
There is no difference between Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) when it comes to the order of play. In fact, the order of play is the same for every poker game that has two blinds and a dealer button.