Poker - Texas Hold'em

As a James Bond fan in heart, I went to watch latest James Bond movies, Casino Royale 007. I am not going to discuss about the story here. My focus is however about the many scenes about playing poker in the movie. There story is about James Bond attending a poker contest which runs for a couple of days in a private casino. Texas Hold'em is played. Most Hong Kong people do not know Texas Hold'em. Instead, they are mostly misled by the local gambling-themed movies which usually play a card game called Show Hand. I am glad to see Texas Hold'em (or Poker hereafter) in the movie. Not just because I know this game, but actually I like this game which demands a good combination of risk management and betting skills. Imaging yourself to be a patient player and having to play a series of several days, you can easily realize the need of skills instead of card luck. Moreover, the community cards give players good hints and deriving tactics, as well as making more addictive and exciting hands. You might have seen the Two Pairs which got beaten by a straight, which then got beaten by a flush and another full house in the same hand. I have read a few books and some online articles about how to play poker well. I also tried to play it at home with some friends once or twice. The experience was pretty good, and I was usually the winner at the end. Typical Eurogamers usually dislike poker games because of luck element. I incline to treat risk management as a crucial skills in playing games and in competing in the real life society.