Usual Terms in Poker

Knowing technical terms used often is really important in poker. This is one of the first rules to become a good poker player. These are some key terms that you have to remember and which are usually used in every sets or poker tournaments:

- To fold: allows player to put cards in the box and to not pursue the game by leaving at the same occasion chips that he invested at the beginning, in order to save more money.
- Showdown : which is the comparison of the seven cards of players
- Ante: It is the first sum that each player has to put on the table. We talk about initial stake in Stud poker. But, in Texas Hold’em and Omaha, the blind is used. The difference is that Ante doesn’t have the value of a bet in poker.
- Blind: It is a forced bet required in certain variants of poker. There are two blinds, the small and the big one. At the beginning, player who is at the left of the dealer pay this forced bet in Hold’em and in Omaha. Moreover, big blind is made by player having seat at the left of the player making blind. Blinds are rotated clockwise turn by turn and every player has to make a forced bet during the set.
- Bluff: It is a strategy which allows player to cheat his opponents by doing paradoxical bets more than his cards allow him to do.
- Buy-in: It is the minimal sum required to participate in a game table. The buy-in depends on each set. If the value of the bet-in is high, then gains are important.
- Flop: is the three first cards face up of the community cards on the board dealt at the same time in Texas Hold'em.

Hands Which can Bring the Most

With the combination and the probability of cards in poker which are more or less known, hands can return rather often. Draw of certain combinations can indeed appear more often than others. If a player is used to recognize these hands or trained for their identification, they have a bigger chance to win. On the other hand, the failure of distinguishing these classifications can also bring players to invest thoroughly in some hands which are not nevertheless worth.

- The Top pair/top kicker: it is the maximum pair of the board with the kicker as high as possible. It’s also known under the abbreviation "TPTK". Even though this hand is rather interesting, it is moreover necessary to be watchful when you have it. In case the pot increases and in case all the players are active, better hands than the TPTK can be in opponents’ hands. To know the custom of every player is important too. Indeed, passive players can raise only by having nuts in hands while the most aggressive players make it with a check-raise and draw.

- Two pairs: two pairs also establish a very good game in poker. Even in flop, this kind of hand is completely interesting because it beats a top pair. In micro-limits, players who hold little lower cards widely prefer to fold.

- Three of a kind: such hand is completely competitive especially if it is about a Three of a kind "Sets" that is a Three of a kind with a pair served in hand. If it is a pair of 2 that accompanies it, the only arrival of a set to the flop makes it interesting. But in front of the weakness of the probability that it arrives, raise preflop which has to accompany it shouldn’t exceed 5% to 10 % of your stack.

- AA and KK: with this hand, you are the favourite at 80 %. You should not thus sub-play it but to try to finish in a pot "multi -way". In every raise preflop, it is thus necessary to re-raise at any time.

WSOP: 40 years of history in the poker world

The World Series of poker (WSOP) during its creation in 1969 was only a kind of marathon of poker dominated by two big players, Nicholas “Nick the Greek" Dandolos and Johnny Moss. It was organized by Benny Binion with two millions of dollars of stake during this launch. Moss was the winner after five months during which 39 tournaments succeeded one after the other. After this first successful attempt, Binion decided to structure better the organization of the WSOP and transforms the event in a more and more popular tournament with the help of media. Then the participation in the WSOP became the obliged passage to enter the closed circle of biggest players of poker in the world. Legendaries players such as Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan or Phil Helmuth, with 10 titles each, are some of those who succeeded their examination in the WSOP.

The WSOP didn’t stop winning fame during the 70s. In 1971, they were tournaments “freeze out” won by Jhonny Moss, then, by Thomas “Amarillo Slim Preston” in 1972. It reached the summit of its popularity in 1980 when qualifications by satellite tournaments started. The WSOP allowed average players to have an access in qualifications at a lower cost. It is the case of Chris Moneymaker, simple amateur player who became famous when he won 2,500,000 US dollars in 2003. After Chris Moneymaker, the WSOP became definitively a wonderful industry.

The 40th WSOP in 2009 marks a particular event in the history of poker. 57 tournaments were in the program allowing the best players of poker of the world to conquer the championship and a bracelet, the tournament Champions Invitational, the charitable tournament Ante up for Africa. The WSOP definitively became an annual meeting for all the community of poker in the world.

The beginning of EPT tournaments

It is surprising to know that the place which gave birth to the pinhole was the place where takes place the biggest tournament of poker, European Poker Tour (EPT). The idea was launched in 1997 by an English TV station and spread beyond the Atlantic Ocean and became a major event of poker, as Poker Millions, World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour. The idea was arranged for European criteria by the English production and was animated and commented by the winner of WSOP, John Duthie of the TV station Sunrise and Vin in Europe. Duthie and his team of production set up a program similar to the World Poker Tour, with some differences.

History
The EPT was launched in 2004 as a direct competitor to the WPT. In order to entice numerous participants to this game, prizes were the half of those proposed by WPT. At present, the Tour goes to 10 countries per season. These countries include Denmark, Spain, England, Australia, Ireland, Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Germany, Poland, and Monaco.
Differences between EPT and WPT
Some points distinguish these two big tournaments of poker which invite thousands of players, every year.

1). The EPT takes place in diverse countries of Europe, while the WPT is played around the world and mainly in the United States, apart from a stage of the tournament
2). This difference of geographical zone makes the numbers of stars present in the event varying. The biggest players of the United States appear in the EPT tournament, except the famous Phil Ivey. In a general way, the American players are always beaten by players native to other countries. Then: what country does play poker the better?
3). The EPT final table is played by eight players, while that of the WTP with six.

Common cards: Principle of nine variants of poker

If the majority of the card games have for principle to let players competing by having all hidden individual cards, some variants of poker have for base to break this foundation by proposing common cards, which has moreover made their success on casino tables. The main advantage is to reduce the probability and the possible combination of card games and to offer to each player a bigger capacity to estimate his opponent’s cards. This system offers also a more interesting raise of bid. Texas Hold' Em, the variant of poker the most played is one of these poker games played with common cards. In this game, each player is endowed with 2 “private cards” and 5 common cards which form the board, among which 3 cards are face-up called "flop”, then the another card from the board "the turn", dealt before the fourth betting round and the showdown.

Double Hold' Em is similar to Texas Hold' Em but instead of five face-up cards on the board, there are two lines of five cards. In this variant, the player always has two individual cards then he has to form the best possible game by combining his two private cards with the first row of five cards, then with the second row of the board. The Omaha, a game in which four private cards and a board of five cards and which exists in high fashion or high/lo, the Aviation which is more or less similar to Omaha in term of distribution of cards, Courchevel (5 private cards and a board of 5 cards), Irish (4 private cards and 5 community cards) Pineapple, Crazy Pineapple and Royal Hold' Em are all in this category.