Texas hold ‘em - what the hell is it?
Texas hold ‘em is one of those things that’s been on my mind a lot lately. I, probably like lots of you, have been getting loads of spam comments and emails over the last few months on various online gambling topics. One of the most memorable of these is Texas hold ‘em. On the radio this morning the news was talking about how well (but at the same time how badly) the UK’s largest online gambling site, Partygaming, has been doing. It seems that although their revenue has risen 80% in the last six months, their share prices have fallen more than 30% after it warned future market growth could slow.
Hmm. I’m no business anylist, so I can’t give any incitful comment to this news. But it got me thinking. What is the thing with all this online betting, and what is this Texas hold ‘em thing I keep getting spammed about?
Texas hold ‘em (or simply hold ‘em or holdem) is the most popular of the community card poker games. It is the most popular poker variant played in casinos in the western United States, and its no-limit form is used in the main event of the World Series of Poker (abbreviated WSOP), widely recognized as the world championship of the game.
Source: WikiPedia
So in other words, it’s poker. All that for poker. It’s amazing that this industry has grown such a lot over the last year, and that a company like Partygaming can make £237.7m from it! All you seem to see plastered everywhere over the internet is online gambling, offshore gambling, gambling boats and casinos (!!!), and we mustn’t forget our old favorites viagra and cialis! (Cialis I think will have to be the topic of another post - this is another one of those things I get spammed about and have absolutely no idea what it is!)
So is there a conclusion to this post? If there is, it’s not made itself known yet. I’m just left thinking if I’m in the wrong business…
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September 6th, 2005 16:47
Hold ‘em is the only form of poker that I understand how to play, but I’ve never understood why people actually expect to come out on top at casinos (real or virtual). The house always wins.
September 7th, 2005 00:13
You play online? I used to play at uni with some friends every Tuesday night for loose change - nothing serious - but haven’t tried this online gambling stuff yet… You hear about professional gamblers; I wonder if I could make a living out of that!?
October 13th, 2005 05:40
It is a testament that Texas holdem Poker is gaining a lot of patrons. The game is even revolutionized making it more exciting. Competitions are being televised to promote the game. There is no doubt why most casinos have the game on their tables.