Texas Holdem

It's obvious to everyone that Texas Holdem is the most popular form of poker in the world today. It's unthinkable to have a brick and mortar or online poker room that doesn't spread Holdem in one form or another. It's also the chosen game for the biggest poker cash tournaments in history, including the main event of the World Series Of Poker which decides the world champion each year.

The reasons for Holdem's success as a game are numerous, including it's easy to learn rules, complex advanced strategies, quickness of play and well proportioned balance between luck and skill. It's inherent properties seem to offer something for all types of poker players. Action junkies will love the quickness play and sophisticated bettors can enjoy learning the endlessly debated advanced strategies possible. Another big part of the games growth comes from the actuality that the cards and odds often allow for rookie players to win a session or tournament against practiced players. Achieving results, even just occasionally, always encourages new hobbyists to continue playing without intimidation.

Will Holdem always be the poker game of choice, or is it possible another game will become the new favorite? Older poker games like Stud and Draw could possibly regain some momentum however this is an unlikely scenario as these games are currently being shunned by many new action players for their naturally slow pace of play. Other known games like Guts (2 or 3 card poker) seem a little too wild and precarious for most players and Pan (chinese poker) is immediately seen as being just too complicated.

It is more likely that a newer game like Crazy Pineapple or Badugi would take over as the number one. Pineapple is essentially a spin-off from Holdem and Badugi is a fun new form of 4-card poker that is played triple-draw for low. These new games can be exciting poker alternatives when a bit of variety is needed in our playing sessions.

Keeping Holdem as a foundation to their poker activities, most players seem to learn the rules and dabble in the other poker games after a year or two of play. Regardless of these tendencies, it's certain that the Holdem craze is not going to end anytime soon since it has been the introductory game for the biggest wave of new players in history.

Shawn has been playing online poker since it's inception in 1999. All of his articles can be found posted on his poker tournament website WinnersTable.com.