Hello, good evening and welcome.

Ok, it may not be evening to some of you but I just wanted to say that. It’s from a TV programme back home in England. Funnily enough I don’t remember which….This week is full of clubs, so read on to find out what’s happening. We have a brand new club this week, one that promises to be fun and exciting, and possibly educational….

NEWS AND REVIEWS

Last week saw Sean’s lecture on Japan. Four people came to listen to Sean tell stories about his time there, talk about the culture and traditions and show lots of photographs. I saw some of them, made want to go there sooner! A little bird tells me that he even gave a Stage 1 Callan Lesson in Japanese!

Kids’ Club was on Saturday. The usual fun and games were to be had with Tanya and Linda again supervising. Sometimes I wish I was a kid again, so I could play games all day (even if they ARE educational!).

This week sees three different clubs. First up is the Intermediate Conversation Club, with Hugh and Caroline. It’s on Thursday April 26th, at 7.30pm, in the usual location. That’s the Totu Café, above Promil. Sign up with the secretaries if you want to go!

Next up is our brand new club which myself and Paul will be hosting. It’s the Card Club, where we will play a selection of popular games, teach you new ones and generally just have good fun! This time we will introduce you to a very popular game worldwide, poker. This game has many forms, we will teach you how to play a variation called Texas Hold ‘Em. This is the most popular version, and where the big money lies! This will take place on Friday 27th April, at my (David’s) flat. It’s close to Zwycięstwa, you won’t have to walk far. Meet at the school at 7.30pm!

Finally, it’s Gosia’s Travel Club. This is shrouded in secrecy, as her posters are not even up! If you want to know more, ask Gosia. It takes place on Saturday April 28th, at 11am. Sign up with the secretaries.

HOW TO PLAY TEXAS HOLD ‘EM POKER
Given that the first Card Club is on Friday, here is the basics of a hugely popular game we will cover – poker!

The two players to the left of the dealer put out blind bets. The player directly to the dealer's left puts out the small blind while the second player to the dealer's left puts out the big blind. Blinds are forced bets to get the action going. Otherwise nobody would bet! Every player is dealt two cards, face down. These are called hole or pocket cards. The action, or the first move, falls on the player to the left of the big blind. She can either call the bet, raise it, or fold. Betting continues around the table, clockwise.

After the betting is completed, three cards are dealt face up in the centre of the table, which is referred to as the board. The first three cards in Texas Hold'em are called the flop. These cards are “community cards” meaning everyone can (and will) use them in combination with their own hole cards to make the best hand. From the flop on, betting begins with the player to the dealer’s left, who can check or bet. A fourth card is dealt face up onto the board. This is called the turn card. Another round of betting. The final card is dealt face up. This card is called the river.

A final round of betting occurs. The remaining players show their cards and the person who can make the best five card hand by combining their pocket cards with the cards on the board wins. Note: In some rare cases in Texas Hold'em, the five cards making up the board will actually be the best hand, in which case everyone left in the hand divides up the pot.

And now you know how to play!