Texas Hold'em Poker FAQ Copyright Majesco 1994 Written By Brian P. Sulpher E-mail: briansulpher@hotmail.com Version 1.0 Dates Written: May 14th 2006 I dedicate this FAQ to the guys over at Majesco. here's to you dudes making what is perhaps the absolute WORST Computer AI in the history of gambling games... and I have played quite a few pieces of gambling game garbage. Way to go guys, top marks for this steaming pile of dung! Also, for Cougar, Howler, and Koonce. I miss you, and I hope you are living it up in the afterlife as you did in this world. You will always be in my memories, and you will never be forgotten. ----------- Version 1.0 ----------- -Submitted guide on May 14th, 2006 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------Table Of Contents------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Introduction 2) Controls 3) Texas Hold'Em Poker Terminology 4) Texas Hold'Em Poker Rules 5) Winning Hand Rankings 6) Strategies 7) Password & Codes 8) Final Word ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------Introduction--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Very few people out there by this point will not have been exposed to this booming and popular activity, which is (typically) No Limit Texas Hold'em Poker. In fact, the purse for the WSOP (World Series Of Poker) has been increasing every year, offering more money to professionals and amateurs alike. Even more play in local games and tournaments, hoping to hit their Flush draws, Trips, or even the mighty Royal Flush. So you would think this would be an ideal pick-up for a fan to play while on a bus ride or a long trip, right? Well... the thing is that the game is not very good. Yes it has a career mode, but it is short and way too easy. Why is it too easy? Well the computer AI is absolutely atrocious, meaning that they are unable to bluff or hide a good hand, so play against them like they are the biggest fish to sit at your poker table. Add onto that a very basic interface, and you have a fairly poor cart. Why am I FAQing it then, you ask? Well, it can still serve as a decent reference marker for anyone looking for some information on this game... or even the game of Texas Hold'em Poker itself (though it will just be the terminology and the Winning Hand Rankings in that instance). Well, enough rambling, now to get into writing this FAQ! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------Controls----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) D-Pad...: Moves the cursor around the various options. Also takes away/adds chips to your bet total. SELECT..: No apparent use. START...: Brings up the Pause menu. A Button: Confirms selections and bet totals. B Button: Cancels a choice and goes to the previous screen. L Button: No apparent use. R Button: Switches the table view. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------Texas Hold'Em Poker Terminology----------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) This section will list the many terms, phrases, and expressions found within the game of Texas Hold'Em. Bad Beat.........: Losing a hand when you were the strong odds favorite to win. Big Slick........: When a player has an Ace-King in their hand off the deal. Blinds...........: Texas Hold'em Poker uses what's called a "blind" structure, meaning that two people on the table must post a bet prior to seeing their cards. Since they are forced to bet without seeing their cards, they are playing "blind", thus the name of those bets are called blinds. There are two blinds, the big blind and the small blind. The small blind position must post half the minimum bet and sits immediately to the left of the dealer. The big blind must post the full minimum bet, and sits immediately to the left of the small blind, two seats to the left of the dealer. As the deal rotates around the table, each player takes turns posting the small blind and the big blind bets. This blind structure forces the action on the table since there will always be a pot to win. Button...........: Also called the "Dealer Button", this is a white puck (usually with the word "Dealer" on it), that signifies the dealer's position on the table. Flop.............: After one round of betting, three community cards will be displayed for all to use in formation of their hands. Kicker...........: the kicker refers to your tie-breaking card if you and an opponent have the same ranking hand (like a pair), with the highest card(s) not involved in the tied ranking hand determining the winner. Nuts or Nut Hand.: This is the best possible hand at the showdown. Outs.............: The number of "outs" refers to the number of cards in the deck to make your winning hand. Pocket Rockets...: This refers to having two Aces as pocket cards. River............: This is the fifth and final Community Card, appearing after the third round of betting. Slow-play........: The act of intentionally under-playing a very strong hand in the hopes of tricking your opponent into thinking that he has you beat, which leads to your opponent betting more in later rounds of betting. Suited Connectors: Holding two cards that are of the same suit and sequentially ordered. Trips............: Slang for Three of a Kind. Turn.............: This is the fourth Community Card, appearing after the second round of betting. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------Texas Hold'Em Poker Rules-------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) This section will examine the rules of the game, outlining the way to play this rather fun card game. o----------o | Pre-Flop | o----------o The game begins with the cards being dealt out from the Dealer Position, indicated by the Dealer Button. The first player to the left of the dealer will put in a Small Blind, while the second to the left of the dealer will put in a Big Blind (double the Small Blind). The player to the left of the Big Blind will then get to decide if they want to bet, with their minimum bet being the Big Blind (though they can raise as well). The betting continues till all players with cards have put in equal amounts of chips, leading to the next phase of the hand. o----------o | The Flop | o----------o The dealer will turn up three cards (most people will put [or burn] the top card before putting three cards face up), which are Community Cards (meaning that they are shared into all hands by all players). Another round of betting will follow, leading to the next phase once all the remaining players have contributed an equal amount of chips. o----------o | The Turn | o----------o The dealer will turn up another Community Card, followed by another round of betting, leading to the final phase once all the remaining players have contributed an equal amount of chips. o-----------o | The River | o-----------o The dealer will turn over the final Community Card, followed by one last round of betting. If at least two players have remained into the very end, they will have a showdown to determine who has the better hand, with the victor taking the money that was bet through out the hand. However, there are some deviations of this set formula, and they are as follows: i) If a player is All-In (ie all their chips are in the pot) while other players are also still involved in the hand (they still have chips), then the All-In player and an equal amount of chips from the remaining players will be kept separate. The remaining players can still bet on the hand, but anything that is bet on the hand will be put into a Side Pot. Now, the side pot will be decided first, considering all players hands who put money into the pot, followed by the main pot that will compare the winning hand from the side pot versus the hand of the All-In player, awarding the second pot to the better hand. ii) If the best hand possible is achieved by two or more players, then the chips entered into the pot will be evenly distributed among the players who achieved that winning hand. This is called a Split Pot. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------Winning hand Rankings---------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) This section will list the hierarchy of winning hands for poker from lowest hand rank to highest. High Card........: Five different non-sequential, at least two different suits, and no repeated cards. Usually not a good hand to bet large amounts on, but risk it if you feel lucky. Example..........: K, Q, 9, 5, 4 One Pair.........: Having two cards the same, and three other different cards. These are fairly common, so you or your opponent can get these frequently. Example..........: A, J, J, 9, 7 Two Pair.........: Having two cards the same, as well as another two the same, but different from the first pair. Also, a fifth card that is different from the rest. A solid hand to start betting a large amount of money to drain your opponent, but be wary of betting too much, as they may possess a better hand. Example..........: K, K, 7, 7, 10 Three of a Kind..: Having three cards the same, with two other different cards. A very good chance of winning the hand with this, but there are better combos to consider. Example..........: 3, 3, 3, 7, 6 Straight.........: Having five sequential cards, that are made up of more than one suit. Another solid hand to bet large amounts of money on. Example..........: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 Flush............: Five non-sequential cards, all of the same suit. Hard to get, but will win hands more often than not. Example..........: A, J, 10, 6, 3 Full House.......: having three of a kind and a pair at the same time. Bet lots of money because this one is very hard to lose on. Example..........: 8, 8, 8, J, J Four of a Kind...: Having all four of a card, and one other different card. When you enter this range of good cards, rarely will you see a better hand. Example..........: A, 9, 9, 9, 9 Straight Flush...: Five sequential same suited cards. Even better chances of winning, but the only time these rules do not make a straight flush is when the hand is a... Example..........: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 Royal Flush......: This near impossible hand to get is when the five sequential same suit cards are: Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. This hand is a guaranteed winner (except if someone else has a royal flush themselves). I have seen three of these myself; twice in online poker, and once in real life games. Example..........: A, K, Q, J, 10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------Strategies--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) This section will examine the methods that will win the game in a short manner for you. i) Normally the way to play is to try and read how a player bets on each hand, determining if they have a better hand or not. However, the computer AI does not bluff, so if they bet hard, best to fold (unless you have the best possible hand on the table). ii) Speaking of a great hand, if you hit Three of a Kind or better, immediately go All-In, as most of your opponents (if not all) will follow suit, which will lead to a lot of money and a ridiculous chip lead. iii) Once a giant chip lead is reached, anytime at least a high pair or two pair is hit, go All-In, forcing the end of the match in as few turns as possible. Yes, the strategy for this game is sadly that simple, and it will work the majority of the time. It is just par for that reprehensible computer AI, so take advantage of it every opportunity that presents itself. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------Password & Codes------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) This section will list passwords for each tournament as well a special code found within the game. o-----------o | Passwords | o-----------o Tournament Name: Lake Tahoe Password.......: VB64338F^YL0CLTSR0 Tournament Name: Reno Password.......: D4B4348F^YL0CLTSR^ Tournament Name: Atlantic City Password.......: 7<^5358F^YL0CLTSR2 Tournament Name: Las Vegas Championship Password.......: 763^368F^YL0CLTSR6 o----------------------o | Play as Phil Melmuth | o----------------------o The following tournaments can be played as Phil Helmuth by using the password listed for each: Tournament Name: Lake Tahoe Password.......: HP64335F668WV