Winning Facebook Texas Holdem

Facebook Texas Holdem is one of the most popular games introduced by Zynga.Inc. It can be played on other social networks such as MySpace, Tagged, Bebo, Hi5, Yahoo and even on iPhone but Facebook is probably the most popular network to play on. All you need to do to get started is have a Facebook account and download the game free from the Zynga website . You may also need to download the Adobe Flash plug-in if it's not already on your computer. Now your all set to play so the next question is, do you know how to play?

When playing Facebook Texas Holdem you will want to know some basic terminology. This terminology is common to Texas Holdem either online or offline. You can play without knowing these terms but will probably get lost very quickly and lose all your chips. Knowing the basic terminology will help you pick up the game much quicker. Here are what I consider the most important terminology used in Texas Holdem Poker.

Blinds - Blinds are the opening bets made in Texas Holdem. There is a big blind and a small blind. The person to the left of the dealer will post the small blind which is half the minimum bet and the person to the their left will post the big blind which is a full minimum bet.

Flop - The Flop is the first three cards dealt on the community table. There will be two additional cards dealt after betting. You will choose the best three out of five cards to go with the two that are dealt to you to form the best possible hand.

Turn - The Turn is the fourth community card dealt

River - The River card is the fifth and final card dealt to the community.

Raise - To raise is to bet more then the previous player so you are raising the bet.

Call - To call is to bet the same amount as the highest one on the table.

Check - To check is essentially a pass. You are betting zero but still have the option to bet in later rounds.

Fold - To fold is basically quitting. If you have a bad hand and are not ready to throw money away or attempt a bluff you would fold.

Bluff - To bluff is to basically bet big as if you had a great hand to make the other players fold so you can win the pot. A successful bluff is sometimes known as "buying the pot".

There are many other terms used in Texas Holdem but knowing these will make the game much easier to learn and play.

Game play for Facebook Texas Holdem is pretty simple. First thing you need to do is pick a table and join a game. Grab a seat and let the fun begin. Once you have a seat you need to buy in. The dealer will give you two cards that only you can see. These are called your pocket cards and will gauge how you play your hand. If you have good pocket cards like a pair or two face cards you will want to bet more aggressively. If however, you get say a two and a nine of different suits you may want to fold pretty quickly. So now you will make your first bet. After the first round of betting the dealer will deal the Flop cards, the first three community cards. If something has been dealt that improves your hand then you will bet more aggressively if not you can hold steady or fold and quit. Next the Turn card, the fourth community card, is dealt and another round of betting and then finally the River card and the last round of betting. By now hopefully you have built yourself a winning hand.

The key to winning is to have a strategy and stick with it. Do not let other players bully you in to changing your strategy. If you keep changing and are to inconsistent you will just wind up placing random bets and losing chips fast. One of the best things about Facebook Texas Holdem is that the money isn't real so even if you lose your shirt one day it will not cost you any money out of pocket. The only thing you may do is bruise your pride but with practice you will find yourself winning more and more.