Tamarisk Country ClubTamarisk Poker ClubTexas Hold’em

Texas Hold’em

Never played before? Start at the top and work down. Nothing here needs a password, an account, or an app — and you can stop and come back whenever you like.

1. The hands Which hand beats which, from best to worst. This is the only part you really have to learn. 2. How a hand works One hand from start to finish — the blinds, the betting, the cards in the middle, who wins. 3. Practice: what do I have? You get two cards and the five in the middle. Work out your best hand. This is the one people get wrong. 4. Practice: which hand wins? Two players show their cards. Pick the winner. Quick, and it sticks. 5. Play a practice tournament A full table against the computer, with everything explained as you go. No money, no pressure. 6. Are you ready? Twelve questions. Get ten right and you know everything you need to sit down and play. Nobody sees the result but you. Tournament night What happens on the night: the blinds, the timings, the rebuys, what wins what.

When you have played a few times

Beyond the basics Where you sit, which hands to play, whether a draw is worth chasing, and what could beat you. None of it is needed to play — it is for once you have a few nights behind you.
The one thing worth knowing before you sit down

You are trying to make the best five-card hand you can. You get two cards of your own, and five are turned face up in the middle for everyone to share. You can use both of your cards, one of them, or neither — whatever makes the best five.

You will not be the only one

Almost everyone at this table is learning too. Nobody minds a slow hand, and if you turn your cards over at the end and cannot work out what you have, just ask the table to read it for you. That is completely normal, even in a casino.