Texas Hold'em Poker FAQ
Copyright Majesco 1994
Written By Brian P. Sulpher
E-mail:
[email protected]
Version 1.0
Dates Written: May 14th 2006
I dedicate this FAQ to the guys over at Majesco. here's to you dudes making
what is perhaps the absolute WORST Computer AI in the history of gambling
games... and I have played quite a few pieces of gambling game garbage. Way
to go guys, top marks for this steaming pile of dung!
Also, for Cougar, Howler, and Koonce. I miss you, and I hope you are living
it up in the afterlife as you did in this world. You will always be in my
memories, and you will never be forgotten.
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Version 1.0
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-Submitted guide on May 14th, 2006
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-----------------------------Table Of Contents------------------------------
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1) Introduction
2) Controls
3) Texas Hold'Em Poker Terminology
4) Texas Hold'Em Poker Rules
5) Winning Hand Rankings
6) Strategies
7) Password & Codes
8) Final Word
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-------------------------------Introduction---------------------------------
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1) Very few people out there by this point will not have been exposed to
this booming and popular activity, which is (typically) No Limit Texas
Hold'em Poker. In fact, the purse for the WSOP (World Series Of Poker)
has been increasing every year, offering more money to professionals and
amateurs alike. Even more play in local games and tournaments, hoping to
hit their Flush draws, Trips, or even the mighty Royal Flush. So you
would think this would be an ideal pick-up for a fan to play while on a
bus ride or a long trip, right?
Well... the thing is that the game is not very good. Yes it has a career
mode, but it is short and way too easy. Why is it too easy? Well the
computer AI is absolutely atrocious, meaning that they are unable to
bluff or hide a good hand, so play against them like they are the biggest
fish to sit at your poker table. Add onto that a very basic interface,
and you have a fairly poor cart.
Why am I FAQing it then, you ask? Well, it can still serve as a decent
reference marker for anyone looking for some information on this game...
or even the game of Texas Hold'em Poker itself (though it will just be
the terminology and the Winning Hand Rankings in that instance). Well,
enough rambling, now to get into writing this FAQ!
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---------------------------------Controls-----------------------------------
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2)
D-Pad...: Moves the cursor around the various options. Also takes away/adds
chips to your bet total.
SELECT..: No apparent use.
START...: Brings up the Pause menu.
A Button: Confirms selections and bet totals.
B Button: Cancels a choice and goes to the previous screen.
L Button: No apparent use.
R Button: Switches the table view.
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----------------------Texas Hold'Em Poker Terminology-----------------------
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3) This section will list the many terms, phrases, and expressions found
within the game of Texas Hold'Em.
Bad Beat.........: Losing a hand when you were the strong odds favorite to
win.
Big Slick........: When a player has an Ace-King in their hand off the deal.
Blinds...........: Texas Hold'em Poker uses what's called a "blind"
structure, meaning that two people on the table must post
a bet prior to seeing their cards. Since they are forced
to bet without seeing their cards, they are playing
"blind", thus the name of those bets are called blinds.
There are two blinds, the big blind and the small blind.
The small blind position must post half the minimum bet
and sits immediately to the left of the dealer. The big
blind must post the full minimum bet, and sits
immediately to the left of the small blind, two seats to
the left of the dealer. As the deal rotates around the
table, each player takes turns posting the small blind
and the big blind bets. This blind structure forces the
action on the table since there will always be a pot to
win.
Button...........: Also called the "Dealer Button", this is a white puck
(usually with the word "Dealer" on it), that signifies the
dealer's position on the table.
Flop.............: After one round of betting, three community cards will be
displayed for all to use in formation of their hands.
Kicker...........: the kicker refers to your tie-breaking card if you and an
opponent have the same ranking hand (like a pair), with
the highest card(s) not involved in the tied ranking hand
determining the winner.
Nuts or Nut Hand.: This is the best possible hand at the showdown.
Outs.............: The number of "outs" refers to the number of cards in the
deck to make your winning hand.
Pocket Rockets...: This refers to having two Aces as pocket cards.
River............: This is the fifth and final Community Card, appearing
after the third round of betting.
Slow-play........: The act of intentionally under-playing a very strong hand
in the hopes of tricking your opponent into thinking that
he has you beat, which leads to your opponent betting more
in later rounds of betting.
Suited Connectors: Holding two cards that are of the same suit and
sequentially ordered.
Trips............: Slang for Three of a Kind.
Turn.............: This is the fourth Community Card, appearing after the
second round of betting.
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-------------------------Texas Hold'Em Poker Rules--------------------------
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4) This section will examine the rules of the game, outlining the way to
play this rather fun card game.
o----------o
| Pre-Flop |
o----------o
The game begins with the cards being dealt out from the Dealer Position,
indicated by the Dealer Button. The first player to the left of the dealer
will put in a Small Blind, while the second to the left of the dealer will
put in a Big Blind (double the Small Blind).
The player to the left of the Big Blind will then get to decide if they want
to bet, with their minimum bet being the Big Blind (though they can raise as
well). The betting continues till all players with cards have put in equal
amounts of chips, leading to the next phase of the hand.
o----------o
| The Flop |
o----------o
The dealer will turn up three cards (most people will put [or burn] the top
card before putting three cards face up), which are Community Cards (meaning
that they are shared into all hands by all players). Another round of
betting will follow, leading to the next phase once all the remaining
players have contributed an equal amount of chips.
o----------o
| The Turn |
o----------o
The dealer will turn up another Community Card, followed by another round of
betting, leading to the final phase once all the remaining players have
contributed an equal amount of chips.
o-----------o
| The River |
o-----------o
The dealer will turn over the final Community Card, followed by one last
round of betting. If at least two players have remained into the very end,
they will have a showdown to determine who has the better hand, with the
victor taking the money that was bet through out the hand.
However, there are some deviations of this set formula, and they are as
follows:
i) If a player is All-In (ie all their chips are in the pot) while other
players are also still involved in the hand (they still have chips),
then the All-In player and an equal amount of chips from the remaining
players will be kept separate. The remaining players can still bet on
the hand, but anything that is bet on the hand will be put into a Side
Pot. Now, the side pot will be decided first, considering all players
hands who put money into the pot, followed by the main pot that will
compare the winning hand from the side pot versus the hand of the
All-In player, awarding the second pot to the better hand.
ii) If the best hand possible is achieved by two or more players, then the
chips entered into the pot will be evenly distributed among the players
who achieved that winning hand. This is called a Split Pot.
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---------------------------Winning hand Rankings----------------------------
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5) This section will list the hierarchy of winning hands for poker from
lowest hand rank to highest.
High Card........: Five different non-sequential, at least two different
suits, and no repeated cards. Usually not a good hand to
bet large amounts on, but risk it if you feel lucky.
Example..........: K, Q, 9, 5, 4
One Pair.........: Having two cards the same, and three other different
cards. These are fairly common, so you or your opponent
can get these frequently.
Example..........: A, J, J, 9, 7
Two Pair.........: Having two cards the same, as well as another two the
same, but different from the first pair. Also, a fifth
card that is different from the rest. A solid hand to
start betting a large amount of money to drain your
opponent, but be wary of betting too much, as they may
possess a better hand.
Example..........: K, K, 7, 7, 10
Three of a Kind..: Having three cards the same, with two other different
cards. A very good chance of winning the hand with this,
but there are better combos to consider.
Example..........: 3, 3, 3, 7, 6
Straight.........: Having five sequential cards, that are made up of more
than one suit. Another solid hand to bet large amounts
of money on.
Example..........: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4
Flush............: Five non-sequential cards, all of the same suit. Hard to
get, but will win hands more often than not.
Example..........: A, J, 10, 6, 3
Full House.......: having three of a kind and a pair at the same time. Bet
lots of money because this one is very hard to lose on.
Example..........: 8, 8, 8, J, J
Four of a Kind...: Having all four of a card, and one other different card.
When you enter this range of good cards, rarely will you
see a better hand.
Example..........: A, 9, 9, 9, 9
Straight Flush...: Five sequential same suited cards. Even better chances
of winning, but the only time these rules do not make a
straight flush is when the hand is a...
Example..........: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
Royal Flush......: This near impossible hand to get is when the five
sequential same suit cards are: Ten, Jack, Queen, King,
Ace. This hand is a guaranteed winner (except if someone
else has a royal flush themselves). I have seen three of
these myself; twice in online poker, and once in real
life games.
Example..........: A, K, Q, J, 10
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---------------------------------Strategies---------------------------------
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6) This section will examine the methods that will win the game in a short
manner for you.
i) Normally the way to play is to try and read how a player bets on each
hand, determining if they have a better hand or not. However, the
computer AI does not bluff, so if they bet hard, best to fold (unless
you have the best possible hand on the table).
ii) Speaking of a great hand, if you hit Three of a Kind or better,
immediately go All-In, as most of your opponents (if not all) will
follow suit, which will lead to a lot of money and a ridiculous chip
lead.
iii) Once a giant chip lead is reached, anytime at least a high pair or two
pair is hit, go All-In, forcing the end of the match in as few turns as
possible.
Yes, the strategy for this game is sadly that simple, and it will work
the majority of the time. It is just par for that reprehensible computer
AI, so take advantage of it every opportunity that presents itself.
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------------------------------Password & Codes------------------------------
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7) This section will list passwords for each tournament as well a special
code found within the game.
o-----------o
| Passwords |
o-----------o
Tournament Name: Lake Tahoe
Password.......: VB64338F^YL0CLTSR0
Tournament Name: Reno
Password.......: D4B4348F^YL0CLTSR^
Tournament Name: Atlantic City
Password.......: 7<^5358F^YL0CLTSR2
Tournament Name: Las Vegas Championship
Password.......: 763^368F^YL0CLTSR6
o----------------------o
| Play as Phil Melmuth |
o----------------------o
The following tournaments can be played as Phil Helmuth by using the
password listed for each:
Tournament Name: Lake Tahoe
Password.......: HP64335F668WV<TSRJ
Tournament Name: Reno
Password.......: XDC4345F668WV<TSRN
Tournament Name: Atlantic City
Password.......: 7<^5355F668WV<TSRL
Tournament Name: Las Vegas Championship
Password.......: 763^365F668WV<TSRP
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--------------------------------Final Word----------------------------------
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8) As is the usual, this walkthrough is copyright property of Brian P.
Sulpher, 2006. The only website, group, person, etc. to have access to
post it is www.gamefaqs.com, www.ign.com, www.retronintendo.com, and
www.honestgamers.com. You must ask for permission before posting this,
as doing so without consent is a violation of international copyright
law.
If you liked it, hated it, have anything to add, then please E-mail me at
[email protected]. You can also contact me through MSN messenger
through the same E-mail address.
Truly one of the worst gambling games I have ever experienced, simply
based on the fact that the computer AI is so damn lousy. However, it is
worth a pick-up for a cheap price as it is a portable version of the
popular Poker game, just do not pay more than 5 or 10 dollars for it.
Thanks to www.flopturnriver.com/start_glossary.html for some of the
explanations in the terminology section.
