There are lots of ways to have fun. You can go to a bar or party, or maybe a hike or bike ride is your idea of a fun time. We all have our own things that we like to do, but Texas Hold’em seems to be something that just about everyone likes these days. It makes a lot of sense that’s it’s so popular. People can get together with family and friends and enjoy an entire evening of fun and excitement for a fraction of the cost of a night out.

Poker tournaments give dedicated players an opportunity to show how they match up against other local players, and a chance to win a nice prize pool that could impact their lives. Everyone is playing; even that guy who said he hates to play cards now sits in regularly to try his luck and have some fun.

Before poker had its boom in 2003, Fremont St. was the place for poker action. It still has some great poker rooms, but they don’t compare to the new big rooms on the Strip. Poker was grown at Binion’s, and the WSOP was held there until Harrah’s bought it and moved it to the Rio.

The Golden Nugget has a mixture of locals and tourists floating around the poker room. The room is small, but you’ll find diverse action and a great poker atmosphere. The Plaza has a large poker room that will take you back a few decades. They offer daily sit-and-go tournaments, as well as the regular cash game action.

The El Cortez is the other downtown poker room. It has a limited number of tables, and is a favorite with the old timers because a spread-limit $1-$3 or $1-$6 Texas holdem game is played there.

Texas holdem calculators have been around for a few years now. Most cost in the range of $20-$50 and promise to improve your game and win you lots of money. They calculate pot odds and advise you on the proper play for the situation.

Now Holdem Radar Company is offering a free version to anyone who may want it. Now players can try out the calculator without worrying about getting ripped off by a shady company with a junk product. Offering the free version lets the player try out the product without concern or commitment, and then the company can pitch the super-awesome updated deluxe’ professional version for $59.99.

Poker calculators are for suckers, whether they’re free or not. They’re used by players who are too lazy to read poker books and document their play. They’d rather find a way to cheat than get better by paying their dues. They can keep their free poker calculator.

Some people can play poker for a long time. I’m sure that I could handle a 24-hour session no problem. I’ve had a few 16-hour sessions, and I can’t recall any of them being difficult. There are some legendary stories about sessions going on for days. The official leader is Larry Olmsted, with a 72-hour session at Foxwoods in Connecticut. He started with $100 playing $0.50 ante Seven Card Stud. He managed to win close to $1,000.

Michael Mizrachi claims that he played for 75 hours at the Mirage. He played $6/$12 limit holdem and continued on a good run for the length of the session. He didn’t stay for any reason other than he was winning lots of money.

The official record for a game is 43 hours. It was set in 2006 by a bunch of guys in London England. They only stopped for bathroom breaks.

Most poker players know the best poker room in Vegas is at the Bellagio. They spread the widest selection of games there, but sometimes it can be hard to get on a Holdem table. Some players think that if you’re looking for Holdem action, the Wynn poker room might be a better option.

The new poker room at the Wynn has limit Holdem games starting at $4/8 and going to $100/200 and above. They also offer no-limit Texas Holdem starting at $1/3. They have 26 tables with most of them dedicated to holdem games. You can buy into a $1/3 no-limit game for $100 minimum, or $200 will get you a seat at $2/5 no-limit.

If you’re staying in the Wynn Hotel there is a poker perk. You can put your name on the waiting list and watch the queue on the in-house poker channel right in your room.

Texas Holdem first showed up in Vegas when Texas poker legends Amarillo Slim, Doyle Brunson and Crandell Addington introduced it to the casinos in the late 1950’s. It was only called holdem in those days. At first, the only casino where you could find the game was at the Golden Nugget downtown. When a poker room opened up at the Dunes in 1969, the game’s popularity began to grow.

An annual “Gambling Fraternity Convention” was a collection of professionals playing different variations of poker to decide the best player in the world. In 1970 Benny and Jack Binion bought the rights to the convention and turned the event into the World Series of Poker. Journalist Tom Thackrey decided that the main event should be Texas Holdem, and the Binions agreed.

In 2004 Harrah’s Entertainment bought Binion’s Horseshoe and the rights to the WSOP, and the tournament was moved to the Rio.

So are you getting addicted to holdem yet? Are you telling your girlfriend that you don’t feel well so you can stay at home and play? Or are you playing when you should be doing something more important? It doesn’t take long for the game to grab you and consume you. It’s not like all of your buddies aren’t playing all the time; poker games are more common on the weekends than house parties.

The successful players learn how to juggle the action with a life. They’re usually not perfect lives, but who lives a perfect life? Don’t let the game control your life or it will sink you fast. It’s no different than any hobby, it can’t consume you. Set reasonable limits to your play and stick to them. It’s tough, but it’s important to have structure. If the game stops being fun, you need to step away for awhile.

Any poker room offers free play to bring in new players. It’s a good way to take advantage of the best software, but it will require a sign-up process. If you want the best non-casino places to play Texas holdem, AOL offers an abundance of the Official WSOP Poker game. AOL has a wide variety of games including other variations of poker. The MSN games are essentially the same thing, if you don’t like AOL for some reason.

The game is so popular that you can play it on your phone now. Social websites like Facebook offer the game to its customers, and a lot of them are playing. Pokerunderworld.com is a site that offers education and discussion, as well as player leaderboards. There’s an active forum and the site is available in multiple languages. Another option would be games.com; they offer most casino games, as well as the regular poker action.

Peer-to-peer poker is a new interactive network for poker players to play internet-style poker while in the confines of a real casino. Players can play in restaurants, lounges or at the bar, and the action can be added to the casino revenue without using up any valuable floor space. Progressive Gaming International Corporation, the leading provider for gaming diversified technologies, has signed a limited exclusive license agreement with Harrah’s Licensing Company.

Harrah’s is expected to begin installing the World Series of Poker peer-to-peer network in the hotel prior to the general public. The system is expected to be attractive to players because they will be able to track their play, and there will always be open tables. The games are an option while waiting for a real table and your name is on the waiting list. The system was approved after its debut at the ICE Show in London.

1. Never draw to low end, or sucker end, of a straight. You’ll get the card you want only to be beat by a bigger straight. Draw to nut straights only, if you’re getting proper odds.

2. Play more aggressive when you have position on your opponents. Being last to go gives you an edge against everyone else; take advantage of this and win free chips.

3. Don’t call a raise in the big blind just because you have something invested. Your position is poor and you’re most likely up against a good hand that has a higher winning percentage.

4. Make large bets when you think you have the lead. Don’t let your opponents draw cheaply on you. Bet half the size of the pot so draw hands will be making a mistake to call.

5. Read hold’em books and document your play. Organization will make you a winner.