Texas holdem is a game of changing fortunes. The rules of the game have been established so that the game will always be dynamic, and unlike conventional poker, players with enough cash, stamina and patience will be able to sit for hours or even days till a guaranteed winning hand appears and they scoop up a major pot. With Texas holdem this kind of scenario is virtually impossible because of the rules known as big blind and little blind. These rules state that the player has to place a preset blind bet, known as the “little blindâ€. Consequently the player sitting to left of the “little blind†bidder has to also place a blind bet, double the value of the “little blindâ€.
This bet is known in Texas holdem as the “big blind†These bets are in addition to any “ante†bets placed and increase in value as the game progresses. Sounds complicated? Well it is. And that’s what makes the game of Texas holdem so interesting and adds this essence of drama which has made the game the most popular table game in the World both on and offline.
If you understand the brilliance behind this rule, then you will understand the strategy of many of the top Texas holdem players when you see them bet large chip stacks or even go all in on an opening pair of cards that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. The reason why this happens is that a thinking player will know that when they are sitting a table where there are maybe only two or three players left, and that there is already guaranteed some form of prize money, and the big blind that they will have to play will knock such a hole in their chip stack, that the odds will gradually wear them down, that they are virtually getting a free bet.
In that case, they have absolutely nothing to lose, so they play their cards in any case, no matter what. However players who have come in with the “hand of death†3 and 5 unsuited, have won the hand and gone on to win the tournament. That’s what makes Texas holdem the great game and viewing spectacle that it is.