The best hand wins in Texas Hold’em, and surprising as it may seem that is not the main point of the game. Sure, winning is what it’s all about. And money. Huge amounts of money.

The other thing to remember in Texas Holdem, is that the opera isn’t over until the fat lady sings, meaning that the game is alive to the very last second, the second after the dealer drops the river card face up on the table and the players either sigh or give their dying gasping throttles.

This game is not for the weak-kneed or the weak hearted, it has the force of thousands of tons of sheer tension. You don’t have to be a great poker player to win. All you need are good cards, in fact the best cards. And nerves made of high tensile steel and full of ice water.

I sat down at a game in an online casino the other day and watched with disdain as I was dealt a 2 and a 4. I was about to fold when I had sudden thought. I buried my head so that no one could see my disappointment. I drummed my fingers on the table waiting for the dealer to finish his round at the table and put down the flop. It came down with a 2, 7, ace. Hmmm. I now have a pair of 2’s. No big deal, but what if there is another 2 in the turn or the river? Three 2’s could be a very respectable wining hand.

I add money to the pot and wait quietly, breathing very shallow. The turn is a 7. Now there is a pair of 7’s on the table. If the river is a 2 I will have full house! I stop breathing completely as I wait. No one else looks very tense, meaning that they are good bluffers or lousy players? Here comes the river. A 2. I have full house. I win with this hand. This opera turns out to be The Magic Flute for me and the fat lady sings the whole way home.

Posted on: July 31, 2008

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