Retro Game Walkthroughs for Texas Hold Em (Xbox 360)
Submitted By: AliBoy
A quick guide to the Xbox Live arcade game “Texas Hold 'Em”. This should hopefully provide a few poker pointers to those who have never played the game of poker before and also help those who have played improve their game a little.
BASICS
Initially in the game the dealer will be picked. The person sitting next to the dealer will then automatically place a small blind bet, the next person will place the big blind bet. These bets are just to ensure there is money in the pot before cards are shown.
Each player in the game will be dealt two cards. A round of betting will then take place. The first 3 community cards (The flop) will then be shown. You combine the community cards with the two cards you are dealt to make your hand. Another round of betting takes place before the fourth community card (The turn) is shown followed by another round of betting and the final community card (The river). Here you combine your two card with any 3 of the community cards to make your poker hand. At this point the person with the best hand will win the pot.
Each game is played with a single deck of 52 cards. So if you have 3 Ace's you can be guaranteed that nobody else has 3 ace's.
You are given the choice at each round of betting to either check, call, raise or fold. If you have a good hand you will want to call or raise the bet. If you have a bad hand you will want to fold if betting is getting high or check if nobody else is raising the bet.
LIMITS
In some games there may be limits set on the table of pot. The limit could allow only bets of a certain size (ie $5 maximum bet) or a limit on the pot ($100 pot limit) where once the pot reaches the limit no more bets can be placed. If there are no limits players can bet as much as they like.
BETTING
Obviously if you feel you have a winning hand you'll want to ensure you win the most money you can but beware. Going all-in too early or betting too high could scare off opponents from betting as they'll realise you have a good hand and fold early.
Press the Y button once and then select the amount you wish to raise the bet by. It is best to ensure it is an amount that all the players playing can afford to place initially until the last round of betting then you can decide exactly how far your willing to bet on your hand. Go all-in if your sure you have a winning hand.
BLUFFING
A good trick to poker is bluffing your way to a win. This is more difficult on the 360 as you don't see the people you are playing and many folk are silent while they play, so judging a genuine good hand or a bluff is very difficult. After a few hands on a table you may be able to work out which players like to bluff with large amounts on money and those who will only bet when they have a good hand.
ORDER OF HANDS
The following shows the order of hands from highest to lowest. So if you have a Royal Flush you will have the best hand and can bet high and be guaranteed to win(But remember not to bet too high early on or you'll scare other people off.
Royal Flush.
A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit.
Straight Flush.
5 cards in sequence all the same suit.
Four of a Kind.
Four cards of equal rank.
Full House.
Three of a kind and a pair.
Flush.
5 cards of the same suit.
Straight.
5 cards of mixed suits in sequence
Three of a Kind.
Any three cards of equal rank
Two Pairs.
Two cards of equal rank
and two other cards of equal rank
One Pair.
Two cards of equal rank
High Card
High card and not suited
MONEY
Your not playing with real money here so you'll find people betting ridiculous amounts of money on some tables and not caring how much they lose. Don't worry if you lose all of your money though, it will just go into negative amounts allowing you to either try win it back or to plunge deeper into negative amounts.
If you want to try play properly though it is worth trying to find a table where people are playing semi seriously and not betting stupid amounts of money each round.
POKER TERMS
A few poker terms you may hear during a game from other players or via the text boxes in the game.
All In: When a player bets all his chips / money on a single hand
Bet: To put money in the pot
Big Blind: A compulsory bet equal to the minimum bet
Buy-in: The amount of money required to join a cash game
Call: To put money in the pot equal to the last bet
Check: A free bet, but you still wish to remain in the pot
.
Community Cards: The face-up cards dealt in the middle of the table that are shared by all players
Flop: The first three community cards dealt face up in the middle of the table
Flush: A hand which has five cards of the same suit
Fold: To stop playing your hand by throwing in your cards
Full House: A hand containing three of a kind and a pair
Hole Cards: The two face-down cards that are dealt to you as your starting hand
Kicker: The card used to decide a tie between two equal hands (usually the higher the better)
Muck: The pile of discarded and folded cards. To muck your hand is to fold without showing other players your cards
Pot: The amount of money that has been bet by all players during a hand
Pot Limit: The amount of each bet is restricted to the amount already in the pot
Raise: A bet made which is higher than the previous bet
Re Raise: To increase the bet after a raise has been made
River: The fifth and last community card to be dealt face up on the board
Side Pot: A pot formed after a player goes all in, but other players with more money can still make bets with each other in a newly formed pot
Straight: A hand of consecutive value cards, but with different suits
Small Blind: A compulsory bet equal to half the minimum bet
Turn: The fourth community card dealt face up in the middle of the table
My Advice
A few extra pointers to help you along the way.
Start off with the single player tournament mode if you are just starting out. This will let you practice off on small amounts of money and get used to how the game works.
Even if the 2 cards dealt to you are poor don't fold them unless the initial bets get too high. You never know what the community cards could leave you with.
You should quickly pick up the basics and understand how the game works. From here on it's just trying to work out what possible hands you could get and how likely it is for someone else to have a better hand than you.
Think about your bets, work out how much you'd be left with if you lost and how much you think would be suitable to bet without scaring other players off but also ensuring a decent amount ends up in the pot.
Use the comms to your advantage, could try to bluff your way to wins or put the pressure on other players to bet or fold depending on what the community cards are.
Don't be afraid to fold if you have rubbish cards and the bets are getting high, always a chance to win back your money in the next hand.
Think about what other players could have, if there is a chance of other players having a straight or a flush based on the community cards then watch how they bet, people tend to raise or bet by larger amounts if they have a good hand. I tend to fold if there is a chance someone has a straight or a flush and is betting higher than other players – unless I feel I have a decent enough hand to be in with a chance of winning.
Have fun. Ultimately it's all about having a laugh. Your not playing with real money and it never runs out (just goes into negative amounts). So join a table, have some fun and learn how the game of poker works.
OTHER GAME MODES
As well as being able to play against other people over xbox live there are additional single player game modes for you to try out.
Standard Game: This lets you create a table with your own settings and has you play against AI controlled players.
Scenarios: This game mode allows you to play various scenarios such as being one of the last two at a table with the largest amount of money to a full final table and you have the smallest amount of money.
Tournament: Has you compete against a table full of AI controlled characters. Once you run out of money though you must leave the table (You can't just get more money from the bank). The top 3 placed players usually also will win a cash prize.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The following is a list of the in game achievements for the game and how to achieve them.
Card Shark (25 Gamer Points) - Play 1,000 hands.
Chunk Of Change (15 Gamer Points) - Build one of your bankrolls up to $100,000.
Gutsy Move (15 Gamer Points) - Place a bet of $50,000 or more.
I'm All In! (10 Gamer Points) - Win an All In bet.
Luck Of The Draw (10 Gamer Points) - Get one of every type of hand from High Card to Royal Flush.
Lucky Day or Crafty Bluffer? (25 Gamer Points) - Win with a High Card hand of 9 or less.
Millionaire Club (20 Gamer Points) - Build one of your bankrolls up to $1,000,000.
Poker Initiation (10 Gamer Points) - Win 10 hands.
Poker King (15 Gamer Points) - Successfully complete all of the scenarios in Single Player Scenario mode.
Tournament Expert (15 Gamer Points) - Finish in first place in all Single Player Tournaments.
Tournament Pro (20 Gamer Points) - Enter and win a Competitive Tournament comprised of 8 players.
Winning Streak (20 Gamer Points) - Win 10 hands in a row.
Hopefully this will help some of you understand the game a bit more and get some enjoyment from playing the game properly.
BASICS
Initially in the game the dealer will be picked. The person sitting next to the dealer will then automatically place a small blind bet, the next person will place the big blind bet. These bets are just to ensure there is money in the pot before cards are shown.
Each player in the game will be dealt two cards. A round of betting will then take place. The first 3 community cards (The flop) will then be shown. You combine the community cards with the two cards you are dealt to make your hand. Another round of betting takes place before the fourth community card (The turn) is shown followed by another round of betting and the final community card (The river). Here you combine your two card with any 3 of the community cards to make your poker hand. At this point the person with the best hand will win the pot.
Each game is played with a single deck of 52 cards. So if you have 3 Ace's you can be guaranteed that nobody else has 3 ace's.
You are given the choice at each round of betting to either check, call, raise or fold. If you have a good hand you will want to call or raise the bet. If you have a bad hand you will want to fold if betting is getting high or check if nobody else is raising the bet.
LIMITS
In some games there may be limits set on the table of pot. The limit could allow only bets of a certain size (ie $5 maximum bet) or a limit on the pot ($100 pot limit) where once the pot reaches the limit no more bets can be placed. If there are no limits players can bet as much as they like.
BETTING
Obviously if you feel you have a winning hand you'll want to ensure you win the most money you can but beware. Going all-in too early or betting too high could scare off opponents from betting as they'll realise you have a good hand and fold early.
Press the Y button once and then select the amount you wish to raise the bet by. It is best to ensure it is an amount that all the players playing can afford to place initially until the last round of betting then you can decide exactly how far your willing to bet on your hand. Go all-in if your sure you have a winning hand.
BLUFFING
A good trick to poker is bluffing your way to a win. This is more difficult on the 360 as you don't see the people you are playing and many folk are silent while they play, so judging a genuine good hand or a bluff is very difficult. After a few hands on a table you may be able to work out which players like to bluff with large amounts on money and those who will only bet when they have a good hand.
ORDER OF HANDS
The following shows the order of hands from highest to lowest. So if you have a Royal Flush you will have the best hand and can bet high and be guaranteed to win(But remember not to bet too high early on or you'll scare other people off.
Royal Flush.
A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit.
Straight Flush.
5 cards in sequence all the same suit.
Four of a Kind.
Four cards of equal rank.
Full House.
Three of a kind and a pair.
Flush.
5 cards of the same suit.
Straight.
5 cards of mixed suits in sequence
Three of a Kind.
Any three cards of equal rank
Two Pairs.
Two cards of equal rank
and two other cards of equal rank
One Pair.
Two cards of equal rank
High Card
High card and not suited
MONEY
Your not playing with real money here so you'll find people betting ridiculous amounts of money on some tables and not caring how much they lose. Don't worry if you lose all of your money though, it will just go into negative amounts allowing you to either try win it back or to plunge deeper into negative amounts.
If you want to try play properly though it is worth trying to find a table where people are playing semi seriously and not betting stupid amounts of money each round.
POKER TERMS
A few poker terms you may hear during a game from other players or via the text boxes in the game.
All In: When a player bets all his chips / money on a single hand
Bet: To put money in the pot
Big Blind: A compulsory bet equal to the minimum bet
Buy-in: The amount of money required to join a cash game
Call: To put money in the pot equal to the last bet
Check: A free bet, but you still wish to remain in the pot
.
Community Cards: The face-up cards dealt in the middle of the table that are shared by all players
Flop: The first three community cards dealt face up in the middle of the table
Flush: A hand which has five cards of the same suit
Fold: To stop playing your hand by throwing in your cards
Full House: A hand containing three of a kind and a pair
Hole Cards: The two face-down cards that are dealt to you as your starting hand
Kicker: The card used to decide a tie between two equal hands (usually the higher the better)
Muck: The pile of discarded and folded cards. To muck your hand is to fold without showing other players your cards
Pot: The amount of money that has been bet by all players during a hand
Pot Limit: The amount of each bet is restricted to the amount already in the pot
Raise: A bet made which is higher than the previous bet
Re Raise: To increase the bet after a raise has been made
River: The fifth and last community card to be dealt face up on the board
Side Pot: A pot formed after a player goes all in, but other players with more money can still make bets with each other in a newly formed pot
Straight: A hand of consecutive value cards, but with different suits
Small Blind: A compulsory bet equal to half the minimum bet
Turn: The fourth community card dealt face up in the middle of the table
My Advice
A few extra pointers to help you along the way.
Start off with the single player tournament mode if you are just starting out. This will let you practice off on small amounts of money and get used to how the game works.
Even if the 2 cards dealt to you are poor don't fold them unless the initial bets get too high. You never know what the community cards could leave you with.
You should quickly pick up the basics and understand how the game works. From here on it's just trying to work out what possible hands you could get and how likely it is for someone else to have a better hand than you.
Think about your bets, work out how much you'd be left with if you lost and how much you think would be suitable to bet without scaring other players off but also ensuring a decent amount ends up in the pot.
Use the comms to your advantage, could try to bluff your way to wins or put the pressure on other players to bet or fold depending on what the community cards are.
Don't be afraid to fold if you have rubbish cards and the bets are getting high, always a chance to win back your money in the next hand.
Think about what other players could have, if there is a chance of other players having a straight or a flush based on the community cards then watch how they bet, people tend to raise or bet by larger amounts if they have a good hand. I tend to fold if there is a chance someone has a straight or a flush and is betting higher than other players – unless I feel I have a decent enough hand to be in with a chance of winning.
Have fun. Ultimately it's all about having a laugh. Your not playing with real money and it never runs out (just goes into negative amounts). So join a table, have some fun and learn how the game of poker works.
OTHER GAME MODES
As well as being able to play against other people over xbox live there are additional single player game modes for you to try out.
Standard Game: This lets you create a table with your own settings and has you play against AI controlled players.
Scenarios: This game mode allows you to play various scenarios such as being one of the last two at a table with the largest amount of money to a full final table and you have the smallest amount of money.
Tournament: Has you compete against a table full of AI controlled characters. Once you run out of money though you must leave the table (You can't just get more money from the bank). The top 3 placed players usually also will win a cash prize.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The following is a list of the in game achievements for the game and how to achieve them.
Card Shark (25 Gamer Points) - Play 1,000 hands.
Chunk Of Change (15 Gamer Points) - Build one of your bankrolls up to $100,000.
Gutsy Move (15 Gamer Points) - Place a bet of $50,000 or more.
I'm All In! (10 Gamer Points) - Win an All In bet.
Luck Of The Draw (10 Gamer Points) - Get one of every type of hand from High Card to Royal Flush.
Lucky Day or Crafty Bluffer? (25 Gamer Points) - Win with a High Card hand of 9 or less.
Millionaire Club (20 Gamer Points) - Build one of your bankrolls up to $1,000,000.
Poker Initiation (10 Gamer Points) - Win 10 hands.
Poker King (15 Gamer Points) - Successfully complete all of the scenarios in Single Player Scenario mode.
Tournament Expert (15 Gamer Points) - Finish in first place in all Single Player Tournaments.
Tournament Pro (20 Gamer Points) - Enter and win a Competitive Tournament comprised of 8 players.
Winning Streak (20 Gamer Points) - Win 10 hands in a row.
Hopefully this will help some of you understand the game a bit more and get some enjoyment from playing the game properly.