Tutorials xo » Texas Hold’em Poker

Texas Hold Em Poker Achievements List

Nicole — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:47:14 +0000

Zynga Poker Achievements
Name	Award Type	Level Unlocked	Achieved When:
Be my Buddy	Bronze	1	Player has at least 20 poker buddies
Everyones a Winner	Bronze	2	Win any Hand
Cheap Date	Bronze	2	Player receives 3 drinks in 1 session
Welcome Wagon	Bronze	2	Player sits down at a table
Nice Hand	Bronze	2	Player has a “Big Win”
Cutie	Bronze	10	Player wins with Q,T cards (any suit)
Piano Keys	Bronze	10	Player wins with 8,8 hole cards (any suit)
Good Buds	Bronze	10	Player plays 10 hands with one buddy
2 in a Row	Bronze	10	2 wins in a row
BlackJack	Bronze	10	Player wins with A,J hole cards (any suit)
20k Win	Bronze	10	Win 20k pot or better
Bet the Farm	Bronze	5	Win after going All In
Big Slick	Bronze	5	Player wins with A,K hole cards (any suit)
Sit-N-Go Tryouts	Bronze	5	Participate in a Sit-N-Go
Tourney Tryouts	Bronze	5	Participate in a Weekly Tourney
5k Win	Bronze	5	Win 5k pot or better
Popularity Rocks!	Silver	2	Player has at least 50 poker buddies
Straight Arrow	Silver	2	Player wins hand with Straight
Bad Beat	Silver	2	Lose a hand with quads or better
Poker On the Go *	Silver	2	Player must play and complete one hand on iphone poker
Jack n 5	Silver	2	Player wins with J,5 hole cards (any suit)
Three’s Company	Silver	2	Player wins hand with 3 of a kind
Full Boat	Silver	2	Player wins hand with Full House
Flushed	Silver	2	Player wins hand with a Flush
Great Hands	Silver	2	Player has a Big Win 10 times
In the money	Silver	15	Participate and place top %20 in the Weekly Tourney
3 in a Row	Silver	15	3 Wins in a row
50k Win	Silver	15	Win 50k pot or better
Fishhooks	Silver	15	Win hand with J,J
Pocket Rockets	Silver	15	Player wins hands with pocket Aces
Better Buds	Silver	15	Player plays 10 hands with one buddy 10 times
me and my Buds	Silver	15	Player plays 1 hand with 4 buddies at the sae table
Cowboys	Silver	20	Player wins hand with K,K
250k Win	Silver	20	Win 250k pot or better
The Dog	Silver	20	Player wins hand with K,9
5 in a Row	Silver	20	5 wins in a row
me, my buds and I	Silver	20	Player plays 1 hand with 4 buddies at the same table 10 times
Straight Baller	Silver	20	Player wins hand with Straight 10 times
Buddy System	Gold	2	Player has at least 100 poker buddies
Catastrophe Win	Gold	2	Win pot with 2,7 hole cards
Straight Up	Gold	2	Player wins hand with Straight flush
Four on the Floor	Gold	2	Win with a 4 of a kind
Royalty	Gold	2	Win with a royal flush
Brunson	Gold	30	Player wins hand with T,2
Rockafeller	Gold	30	Player wins with peak chip count of 1 million chips
Best Buds	Gold	30	Play 10 hands with 1 buddy 25 times
me and my buds, and ii	Gold	30	Play 1 hand with 4 buddies at the same table 25 times
Three in a Tub	Gold	30	Win with 3 of a kind 10 times
Three Alarm	Gold	30	Win with 3 of a kind 25 times
Straight Boogie	Gold	30	Player wins hand with Straight 25 times
Flushing NY	Gold	30	Player wins hand with Flush 10 times
Party House	Gold	30	Player wins hand with Full House 10 times
10 in a Row	Gold	30	10 wins in a row
500k Win	Gold	30	Win 500k pot or better
Your Hands Rock!	Gold	30	Player has a Big Win 25 times
See Three	Gold	40	Win with 3 of a kind 100 times!
Flushinator	Gold	40	Player wins hand with Flush 25 times
Flush it Down	Gold	40	Player wins hand with Flush 100 times
This is my House	Gold	40	Player wins hand with Full House 25 times
Straight Ahead	Gold	40	Player wins hand with Straight 100 times
Getting Fuller	Gold	40	Player wins hand with Full House 100 times
15 in a Row	Gold	40	Win 15 times in a row
Hold your Hands High	Gold	40	Player has a Big Win 100 times
1 Win	Gold	40	Win 1 million pot or better

Best Hands in Poker

Nicole — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:46:35 +0000

Standard five-card Poker hands are ranked here in order of strength, from the strongest Poker hand to the weakest.

Royal Flush
This is the best possible hand in standard five-card Poker. Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10, all of the same suit.

Straight Flush
Any five-card sequence in the same suit (e.g.: 8, 9, 10, Jack and Queen of clubs; or 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of diamonds).

Four of a Kind
All four cards of the same value (e.g.: 8, 8, 8, 8; or Queen, Queen, Queen, Queen).

Full House
Three of a kind combined with a pair (e.g.: 10, 10, 10 with 6, 6; or King, King, King with 5, 5).

Flush
Any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence (e.g.: 4, 5, 7, 10 and King of spades).

Straight
Five cards in sequence, but not in the same suit (e.g.: 7 of clubs, 8 of clubs, 9 of diamonds, 10 of spades and Jack of diamonds).

Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same value (e.g.: 3, 3, 3; or Jack, Jack, Jack).

Two Pair
Two separate pairs (e.g.: 2, 2, Queen, Queen).

Pair
Two cards of the same value (e.g.: 7, 7).

High Card
If a Poker hand contains none of the above combinations, it’s valued by the highest card in it.

Texas Hold Em Poker Buy Chips

Nicole — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:45:54 +0000

You can earn or buy Facebook poker chips through your online account. Since there’s no software to download or set up, all you have to do is click the game you want to play on our site at www.zynga.com in order to buy Zynga poker chips. You can also directly link to your Facebook account here: http://apps.facebook.com/texas_holdem/. From there, you just need to click the tab to ‘Get Chips’ and you can instantly replenish your Zynga chips. Our prices are low, so you can keep your stash of Facebook chips high. There are also plenty of ways in the game to get Facebook poker chips for free, including inviting friends, clicking partner offers (see the offers on the ‘Earn Chips’ tab) and winning Facebook chips from other players.

Please be aware that any sites offering Zynga poker chips other than Facebook or our official site are fraudulent. You cannot buy Facebook poker chips from third-party sites and we do not offer Zynga poker chips anywhere offline. Further, your Zynga chips cannot be refunded, replaced or transferred, as they hold no monetary value. If you are offered a link to a site to buy Zynga poker chips anywhere outside of your Facebook app or our site, please report this activity to us immediately. Zynga Chips

Source(s):

www.zynga.com/chips

Texas Hold Em Poker Dictionary

Nicole — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:45:15 +0000

Add-on – In some tournaments there is an opportunity to buy additional chips.
All in – When a player puts all his chips in.
Ante – A minimum bet which every player is forced to bet before each hand. It makes the pot bigger.
Bet – The chips a player puts in the pot.
Bad beat – When you lose a hand when you were favourite to win.
Bank roll – Money that you can wager.
Big blind – A forced bet before every hand is dealt, made by the player sitting at the position after the small blind. The big blind is usually double the small blind.

Big slick – A hand that contains an Ace and a King.
Blinds – The bets that must be made before each hand is dealt. The blinds are made by the two players sitting directly to the dealer’s left.
Bluff – To make other players believe that one has a better hand than he/she really has. Usually made by betting or raising.
Bottom pair – When a player uses the lowest card on the flop to make a pair with one of his own pocket cards.
Burn card – The cards before the flop, turn, and river that are discarded to prevent reading of marked cards.
Button – A symbol to designate which player is sitting in the dealer’s position.
Buy-in – The amount of money a player have to pay to get into a game or tournament.
Call – Matching the bet amount.
Cash out – To leave a poker game and converting the chips into cash.
Check – When it’s a player’s turn to act and there has been no action in front of him and he opts not to bet, he “checks”. Made by saying “Check” or knocking on the table.
Check-raise – When a player first checks and then raises in a betting round.
Community cards – Cards dealt face-up in the middle of the table.
Dealer – The person who handles the cards and gives out the pots. Can also be one of the players in the game.
Deuces – Twos are also called Deuces.
Early position – Position on a betting round where the player must act before most of the other players.
Fifth street – Represents the fifth community card on the table and the final round of betting. Also known as the “river” card.
Fish – A poor player who never will turn into a fox (an expert player).
Fixed limit – Bets that can only be made in pre-specified increments.
Flop – The first three community cards that are dealt face-up on the table. The flop also indicates the second round of betting.
Flush – Any five cards of the same suit. (spades, clubs, hearts or diamonds).
Flush draw – When a player has a chance to make a flush.
Fold – To throw your hand away (only made when it’s your turn to act).
Four of a kind – Four cards of the same rank.
Fourth street – The fourth community card (aka “the turn”) and represents the third round of betting.
Freeroll – Tournaments with no buy-in but still containing prizes.
Full house – Any three cards of the same rank, plus any other two cards of the same rank.
Hole cards – The face-down cards dealt to each player (2 cards in Texas Hold’em).
Inside straight – Four cards which require another card between the top and the bottom card to complete a straight. Players who catch this card make an inside straight.
Kicker – The highest unpaired side card in a players’ hand.
Ladies A hand holding a pair of Queens.
Late position – Position on a round of betting where the player must act after most of the other players (usually considered to be the two positions before the button).
Limit poker – A poker game that has fixed minimum and maximum betting intervals along with a specified number of raises.
Limp in – To enter the pot by calling rather than raising. (The usual meaning of “Limp In” is when the player “Under the gun” just calls the Big Blind.)
Live hand – A hand that still has the chance of winning the pot.
Loose play – A player who plays many hands is a Loose player.
Middle position – A position somewhere between the early and late positions (the fifth, sixth and seventh seats to the left of the button when there 10 players at the table).
Monster hand – A really good hand.
Muck cards – To “muck” your cards is to put them into the pile of discarded cards when folding.
No-limit – A game where players can bet as much as they like (as long as they have got the chips) on any betting round.
Nuts – The best possible hand at any point of the game.
Odds – The probability of making a certain hand.
Open-ended straight – Four consecutive cards whereby one additional (consecutive) card is needed at either end to make a straight.
Open card – A card that is dealt face-up.
Open pair – A pair that has been dealt face-up.
Pair – Two cards of the same rank.
Picture cards – Face cards (Jack, Queen and King).
Pocket – The down cards or hole cards. Cards that no one else is entitled to see.
Position – The position a player is seated in relation to the dealer.
Post – When posting a bet, the player places his chips in the pot.
Pot – The chips in the center of a table that all players try to win.
Pot limit – This is a poker game where the maximum bet equals the pot.
Quads – Same as Four of a kind.
Raise – To increase the previous bet.
Rake – Chips taken from the pot by the casino as a fee for hosting the game.
Re-buy – The price a player pays to add a specified number of chips to his/her stack in a poker tournament.
Re-raise – To raise a previous raise.
River – This is the last community card given and the last round of betting. In Hold’em, it is also known as the 5th street.
Royal flush – This is an Ace high straight of the same suit. It is the best possible hand in poker.
Satellite – It is a minor tournament to win an entry into a larger tournament.
Showdown – It’s when all active players, at the end of the final betting round, turn their cards face-up to see who has won the pot.
Side-pot – One or more separate pots which is contested by remaining active players when one or more players are all-in.
Small blind – The amount put in the pot by the person immediately to the left of the dealer “button” before the cards are being dealt. The Small Blind is half the Big Blind
Split – Tie. When two or more players has hands of the same rank they split the pot.
Stack – A player’s pile of chips.
Straight – Five consecutive cards of any suit.
Straight flush – Five consecutive cards of the same suit (Great hand!).
Texas Hold’em – The most popular form of poker. This is also the name for Hold’em (or Holdem).
Three of a kind – Three cards of the same rank (“trips”).
Tight – A tight poker player is a player who doesn’t play many pots. A tight poker game is one that doesn’t have much action.
Top pair – When a player pairs one of his hole cards with the highest card on the board.
Turn – The fourth community card dealt and the third round of betting.
Two pair – A hand consisting of two different pairs.

Texas Hold Em Poker Gifts

Nicole — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:44:44 +0000

Get ready — Zynga is starting a limited release of new Premium Gifts! This feature, already available to a small portion of the players, can can be purchased using the new currency: Casino Gold.

Premium Gifts can be found in the Gift Shop, alongside the existing regular gifts — but unlike regular gifts you can keep and display these gifts forever. And there’s a new inventory manager (in your profile) where you can keep track of gifts and pick which gift you want to display.

You may notice a few issues (such as only being able to buy Premium Gifts for certain players, or basic gifts that disappear when switching servers). Zynga is aware of these issues!

Texas Hold Em Poker Guide

Nicole — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:44:02 +0000

Rules of Texas Hold ‘Em

* Thanks to the World Series of Poker and Celebrity Poker Showdown, Texas Hold ‘Em is the most popular type of poker currently played in the United States. A community game, Texas Hold ‘Em is played with two ‘hole cards’ dealt only to you and a shared set of community cards, which are placed face up in the center of the table.

* The goal of Texas Hold ‘Em is to create the best possible combination of five cards. Which hand ranks higher than another in Texas Hold ‘Em? The same that ranks higher in any other game of poker.

Texas Hold ‘Em Game Play

* Ready to play America’s favorite poker game? All you need is one other player, and you’re ready to begin.

1. Two players put in the small blind and the big blind. A blind is a mandatory bet, required to begin game play.
* In a casino, these players are always the ones sitting to the left of the dealer. Online, this responsibility rotates. The computer will notify you with a ‘beep’ when it is your turn to contribute the blind.
2. Each player is dealt two cards.
3. There is a round of betting, starting with the player to the left of the player who contributed the big blind. Each player must put in at least the amount of the big blind to continue playing. The player who put in the original big blind can either raise or check on his or her first turn.
4. The dealer deals three cards face up on the table. This is called the ‘flop.’
5. There is another round of betting.
6. The dealer deals a fourth card face up on the table. This is called the ‘turn.’
7. There is another round of betting.
8. The dealer deals a fifth card face up on the table. This is called the ‘river.’
9. There is another round of betting.
10. If two or more players remain, they show their cards to determine the winner. The winner has the best 5-card poker hand formed with his or her hole cards and any combination of the community cards on the table.

Your Turn to Bet

* When it’s your turn to bet, you can do one of the following:

1. Fold: If you have a weak hand or the betting is too high, you should fold. Folding is dropping out of play. You surrender your cards by placing them face down on the table and sliding them to the dealer.
2. Check: If no one else has bet yet, you can check, which is essentially passing on your turn without folding. If everyone checks in the first round of draw game, it gives you the opportunity to draw a new card without risking any money or dropping out of the game. To check, simply say ‘check’ or tap the table.
3. Call: Calling means that you bet the same amount as the previous player. If other players have already bet, the minimum you can do to stay in a hand is call the previous bet.
4. Raise: Raising means you bet more than the previous player.

How to Play Poker on Facebook

* The beauty of playing poker online is that the computer will not only let you know when it’s your turn to play, it will tell you what all your possible plays are. It doesn’t strategize for you, but at least, it narrows down your options.

1. Log-in to your Facebook account.

2. Visit the Facebook Texas Hold ‘Em Application mainpage by clicking here.

3. Click the Log in to Texas Hold ‘Em Poker button.

4. You will be asked to choose your privacy settings and preferences. Check the appropriate boxes and click the Add Texas Hold ‘Em Poker button.

* When you sign up to play Texas Hold ‘Em on Facebook, you’ll be awarded a certain number of chips to bet. Those chips represent your play money. One of the nice things about Facebook’s version of online poker, the money is always virtual.

5. The next page will show you your Texas Hold ‘Em Poker menu. You can choose to invite friends or get into a game by clicking the ‘Play!’ button.

6. Once you’re ready to play, you have a few different options:
1. Join a game already in play by clicking the Find Me A Seat button.
2. Set up your own private table for friends by clicking on the Create Table button.
3. Join one of the tables listed on the screen by clicking on the Join Table button in the lower right hand side of the menu. If you join a particular table, be sure that you can afford the minimum buy-in, which is indicated in the sixth column of the table.
4. Look for available ‘tournaments’ to enter by clicking on the Tournaments button.

7. Once you are at a table, you will take an available seat by clicking on the SIT icon.
* You can leave a table at any time by clicking the Leave Table button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

8. You will be asked to ‘buy-in’ the game. Place your bet, and wait for your turn. When it’s your turn to bet again, the computer will beep and lay out your possible plays.
* If you need to leave your computer during a game, you can click Play Ahead and make your move in advance.
* Click on your neighbor’s Facebook icon to learn more about the person. You can also give another player chips and chat with anyone at the table.

9. If you go broke, don’t worry. You’ll be given a new batch of chips every day, and you can earn bonus chips by inviting friends to play. If you get really good, you may even find yourself climbing the leader board!

Zynga Poker Icons Guide

Nicole — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:43:25 +0000

1. Chips
Your chips are what you use to play with in poker, it is your money. The more chips you have the higher tables you can play at. The Gold dog is your Casino Gold which allows you to buy premium gifts in the gift shop.

2. Your menu
Your side menu contains your Gift Shop items, your profile which when you click will give you an overview of your poker account and achievements list. Your Buddies button will give you a pop up list of your current buddies and allow you to send chips or gifts to them, or invite others to play. The get chips button will take you to a page which will give you the option to buy chips for real money. The earn chips button gives you a page where you can fill out free surveys to earn more!

3. Levels & Achievements
As you gain points by playing you go up in levels, the higher the level the better. Your achievements are right next to it as a trohpy you can click it to see what achieveents you have and need.

4. Pokergrams
The little blue box in the corner is small but its your pokergrams which is basically like facebook notifications but for your poker only.

5. Server Change
If your server is slow or full you can click this to change to a different server in a different city, give you all new tables, players etc.

6. Live
Your Live box shows you which of your buddies is online, private chat, invite buddies to play and more.

7. Hide Sections
This is a cool feature, if you don’t want the box above to show tables that are filled up or empty tables you can click this to hide to show only available tables to join with others.

8. Preview Table Players
When you highlight a table you can see who is playing in the box below before you even load the page, that way you can decide to play or not.

9. Daily Free Gift
You can send 99 free gifts a day to your neighbors, daily free gifts are usually chips, and under your neighbors there is a button to send.

10. Neighbors
Your neighbors are people on your friends list who have poker installed.

Zynga Texas Hold Em Poker on iphone

Nicole — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:42:41 +0000

Zynga, the largest social gaming network, announced today the launch of “Live Poker,” the first truly live game on the iPhone. This mobile version of Zynga’s popular Texas Hold’Em turns the iPhone into an always-on social gaming device.

“Live Poker” allows iPhone users to compete with 1.4 million daily players in the web’s largest free poker game. The game makes it easy for users to play with their real friends from Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and Hi5 as well as make new poker buddies. Players can easily see which of their friends are online, and join them with just one click. Since the casino is always open, users have people to play with at all levels.

Zynga’s new application turns the iPhone into a social gaming platform. “Live Poker” is the first application to leverage Facebook Connect allowing iPhone users to play with their real friends and access social information such as real player photos.

“By opening their platforms, Apple and the social networks have enabled rapid innovation to reach their mass audiences,” said Mark Pincus, CEO, Zynga. “The next time you are stranded at JFK waiting for your flight, click into iPhone “Live Poker”and challenge your old college roommate who is stuck at work.”

“Live Poker” is available on any iPhone with 3G or Wi-Fi access, and will also work on the iPod Touch. “Live Poker” is free, and an upgraded version giving players a larger chip package is available for $9.99. Future releases of the game will include additional features such as access to tournaments. The application is now offered in the iTunes store at: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=2959 13419. (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser’s address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

Zynga Texas Poker Tips

Nicole — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:41:41 +0000

Here is a list of useful tips for Zynga Texas Poker that will advance you along quicker.

When you first start playing the game you are given $10,000 in poker chips. It is up to you to bet your money wisely in rooms with buy-ins ranging from $2 to $2 million. The great thing about this poker game is that you can become friends with the people you meet in the room and they are
just friends in the game; not on your facebook profile so you still have your privacy. A good reason to add friends in the game is because you can send your friends $1000 in free chips every day. So if you have 20 friends sending you chips everyday, you could be making $20,000 a day to bet with, from doing nothing.

Zynga also has a daily bonus by which they give you free chips, ranging from $100 to $1 million dollars. In addition to the daily bonus there is also a daily raffle. It costs no chips to enter this raffle and everyone is a winner, so in effect you are just being given free chips everyday just for playing.

If you really love the game and you run out of chips and don’t want to wait until the next day to get some more chips, you can actually buy them. Zynga has 2 options to buy chips; you can get them by paying a fee via paypal: the prices range from $5 for 75,000 chips to $150 for 5 million dollars in chips.

Pay Attention To The Cards

It is very important to pay attention to what cards you have in your hand and how to use them effectively. Poker players also need to make sure to pay attention to the cards that are being laid out on the table and how they work with the cards in your hand.

Don’t Be Afraid To Fold

Remember when playing for real money and not facebook chips to keep an eye on your bankroll. You don’t have to play every poker hand. Part of playing and winning at online poker opposed to Facebook Texas Hold’em is to know when to fold. Play only what you know you can win with. Or play what you know you can bluff with. Just because you are playing most of the hands doesn’t mean you are winning.

Stay At Your Skill Level

Just because you have been wining a lot of hands on Facebook does not make you an online poker master. Start at the lower limits and work your way up. The money is higher because the skill level is harder. You may find that you are not yet ready to upgrade. Before you move up try to be the best at your poker table.

Don’t Feel Pressured To Stay In a Hand

One of the biggest mistakes that amateurs make is to think that once they have put a lot of money in the pot they are forced to play out the hand. The minute you think you have a losing poker hand you need to fold. Remember when playing for real money it is your cash not free facebook poker chips at stake here.

Bluff Like You Know What You Are Doing

Bluffing is an important part of poker and should only be used if you know what you are doing. You can win big if you bluff right – but to bluff just for the fun of it can cause you to lose big also. Facebook Texas Hold’em players are playing for fun and just want the thrill of being in the hand. Real money players make use of strategy and poker skills to win hands so unless you are playing on a super loose site remember the old saying “if you can’t spot the fish – you are the fish”

Pay Attention to the Players

Observing your opponents is very important. It is a chance for you to try to understand their body language and know when they are bluffing and when they have a winning hand. On the Texas Hold’em app on Facebook most players are chatting to each other and it’s a fun pastime. Online poker players use the chat options to distract and profile players around the table. It is important to study them even when you are not playing the hand so don’t be distracted by anything. When you figure them out you can steal the pot from them.