Community Card Poker: Royal Hold 'Em
If you know Texas Hold 'Em then you’ve already got a leg up on understanding its child, Royal Hold 'Em. In fact, you can think of Royal Hold 'Em as Texas Hold 'Em with fewer cards.
Royal Hold 'Em uses the “10 cards and higher”, thus giving it the name: Royal Hold 'Em. It’s a community card game, so certain cards are shared by all players. Games are limited to seven players at a table. More players would tap out the deck since there are only twenty playable cards.
A typical game of Royal Hold 'Em starts with two cards dealt face down. These are your hole cards and, obviously, shouldn’t be seen by any other player during the hand. The betting starts, then the flop is dealt with three shared community cards. Bet (or fold) some more, another community card (the turn) comes into play, more betting and then the final community card (the river) is dealt. If played normally, you’ll see five community cards and two in the hole. The game finishes with one last round of betting and whoever has the best 5-card hand (and hasn’t folded) wins the pot. Royal Hold 'Em uses the game winning hands used in other regular poker games. However, jokers (the cards, not players!) and wild cards are forbidden.
Royal Hold 'Em attracts players who like bigger pots and more action. Since players tend to stay in the game (as everyone has a shot at a good hand), it’s more fun. Some critics feel Texas Hold 'Em is a bit boring, especially when players sit and wait for good hands to come. Hence, the more exciting “Royal” version! The Nevada Gaming Commission recently approved Royal Hold 'Em, so new gamblers are going to be introduced to this new variant. Get started now on learning if you want an advantage when new players start arriving.
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when playing Royal Hold 'Em. It’s a relatively new game so an experienced player can clean up quite well. Since the game is limited to the high cards, it’s possible to get a good hand and still lose. Good cards are exciting, but don’t get overconfident because you have kings and queens in your hand. Remember, other players will have high cards as well. Only go for certain hands, since some traditional hands are impossible. Royal flushes are the only flush possible and full houses are more common since we’re playing with high cards. And trust us, three of a kind is nowhere near as strong as you think it is!
Good luck out there on the tables!
