Texas Hold’em

The Pusheens have been playing a lot of strategy games during quarantine.

Last night Pip, Slothy, Asul, and Ruff Bader Ginsburg played Texas Hold’em which is a type of poker. Texas Hold’em was invented in Texas but it was introduced to Las Vegas in 1963 at the California Club by Corky McCorquodale, a professional poker player. Allegedly the invention of Texas Hold’em was by a Texas road gambler named Blondie Forbes, who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1980 for his creation.

The goal of the game is to get the five best cards out of the cards that are dealt. Since you see two of your cards but everyone sees three cards that are dealt onto the table face up, the goal is to figure out in advance whether your cards can make a good hand and whether the other players are bluffing. The rules are easy to learn but it’s hard to learn how the other players will act.

The Pusheens and Slothy put money into the pot so whoever won would get twenty dollars. You play with special chips that count your money and at the end whoever has the most chips wins the game wins the money.

There is a dealer and the dealer deals the cards. Each player gets two cards to start. Then the dealer puts down the “flop,” which is two cards face down in a pile and three cards face up. Everyone bets using their chips. Then the dealer puts a card face down on the pile and the one up. Everyone bets again. Then there is one last card called the “river,” and that is the last bet.

At the beginning, the two people to the right of the dealer have to put in chips. The person next to the dealer is called the “little” bet, which is half of the total minimum bet for that round. The person next to them is called the “big” bet which is the full bet. The first round, the minimum bet was $20. The next person to go is “under the gun” and they have to decide looking at their two cards whether they will use their chips to play or if they will fold, which is to turn in your cards without betting.

The Pusheens made a little guide to help them remember the different hands, which are two of a kind, three of a kind, a full house, a straight, a flush, and so on.

But by the time the Pusheens and Slothy learned the rules they didn’t want to play anymore!

Maybe they will play tomorrow.