For a change, we have good news. Both the states of Nevada and New Jersey have passed laws allowing Internet gambling. Nevada’s law is just for poker while New Jersey’s law includes additional gambling as well. But at this point in time, we at Two Plus Two don’t know all the specifics concerning these laws, so I don’t want to comment too much on them. But we hope to be meeting with our legal team in the near future which should allow us to learn more. So if and when that happens, I’ll be back with more information.

However, there is one thing that is very clear. There will now be competition between the states of Nevada and New Jersey, and it’s my opinion that when there is competition, the users of the product are the ones who benefit the most. So, it should be quite interesting watching how all of this plays out.

The next question of interest is when will the games start, and here I have a little more (but not much more) knowledge concerning Nevada. My best guess would be July 1, but it can certainly be sooner. It’s also my experience, and I think we are seeing this already, that when there is a lot of programming involved, it’s tough to accurately estimate finish times. So, we’ll see as to how accurate the July 1 date for Nevada is. As for New Jersey, I don’t want to speculate since my knowledge is lacking in that state.

Work is continuing on our next book, Applications of No-Limit Hold ‘em; A Guide to Understanding Theoretical Sound Poker by Matthew Janda, and we should have it sometime in May. I know a number of you are quite interested in this text, and as soon as it is done, we’ll make it available.

Finally, for you limit hold ‘em players, and there are still a few of you left, Philip Newall’s second book, Further Limit Hold ‘em; Exploring the Model Poker Game is now available. While it’s a challenging book, I picked up a few things working on it which have already helped my play, and I’m sure the same will be true for most of you who get up a copy.

Tue, 09/06/2011 – 07:11 – PokerPages Staff

As we’re all aware, there is a rather large amount of betting that goes on in a poker game. Working out how the betting works can be difficult for the beginner poker player. This article aims to help you through the minefield of the betting rounds of a game of Texas Hold ‘em and understand the way the game works.

Ante or Blind
Depending on the game you are playing, you may need to bet a blind or an ante. This is a bet placed before you’ve seen your hole cards and ensures that there is money in the pot to be won.

First Betting Round
The first actual betting round comes after the hole cards have been dealt. The player to the left of the dealer has the option to bet, check or fold. Further players can call (match) the bet, fold or raise, by adding more chips to the bet. A round of betting continues until all remaining players have bet the same amount of chips or only one player remains.

Community Cards
The second, third and fourth rounds all follow the dealing of the community cards, with the same betting rules applying throughout. The second round comes after the first three cards or flop has been dealt. The third round is after the turn and the fourth and final round comes after the river.

The Showdown
The showdown comes at the end of the final betting round. If there is more than one player remaining, all players must show their hands, and the player with the highest ranked poker hand wins the pot.