Category: New Board Games

Rules of Texas Hold ‘Em

When you hear the word Poker, I am sure Texas Hold ‘Em is the first thing that pops into your head.  Texas Hold ‘Em is the most popular version of Poker played the world over.  You may be put off learning the game due to its perceived complications.  However, it is a lot easier to learn than you think, and once you know the basics, you will be able to play with the most avid enthusiasts.

The aim of the game

The objective of Texas Hold ‘Em is like any other game of chance – to win money.  Winning other people’s money is the primary objective of Poker.  Betting is done within the game by the players, and the limits and size of the bets are decided by each player.

If you are you looking for more modern ways to play one of our favourite comparison guides right now is Best Casino Sites UK. They update weekly with the best and latest bonuses in their different 2018 guides.

How to play

Most other casino games involve the process of place a bet, look at your cards and then win or lose.  With Texas Hold ‘Em you are dealt your cards, place a bet, get some more cards, place a chance again.  This process continues until your opponents fold one at a time, and you are the winner.  Folding is not ideal as it means you lose the hand.

Should there be one other person still playing the hand, the player with the best hand wins the pot.  Pot means the bets that are on the table for that particular hand.

At the start of the game, players make a small bet before any cards are dealt.  Players are then traded two cards each that are faced down.  You then need to place a bet or fold.  Three cards are then dealt face up in the centre of the table.  The two cards in front of you and the three cards in the centre of the table makes up the five card hand.  Players then bet or fold without touching their cards.  A fourth card is then placed on the table face up; followed by more bets. A fifth card is placed in the centre of the table, and more bets are made.  Any player still in the game faces their two cards up to see who wins the pot.  The winner takes all the money for that hand.

How are the hands ranked?

A player gets five cards in a hand of Texas Hold ‘Em.  The best hand is a Royal Flush, and the worst hand is a high card.  The ranking and value of the cards follow the essential ranking and value of Poker rules.

When comparing who has the better hand between two players at the end of a hand, a Royal Flush will always trump any other combination of cards.  At the very least and most unlikely of odds, a high card (for example, an Ace) will win the hand.

Texas Hold ‘Em is a tremendous and action-packed Poker game.  It is not for the faint-hearted and required both skill and strategy.  The only way to get good at Texas Hold ‘Em is to play, play and play some more.  You can choose to play casually at first and then start playing for money as your confidence grows.

We all know the time when we gathered our friends, got a few snacks along the way, sat around a table, and play Monopoly and Uno all day long, chomping on our favourite chips and having a time of our lives. That feels pretty nostalgic now, considering the millennial age is mostly interested in the internet, or so it seems. After some recent surveys, it has come to light that the newer generation of children and teenagers alike are particularly interested in board games and are contributing a lot to make them great again, but why? Let’s look in detail!

They are new Board Games coming:

Most people still only know about Monopoly and Snakes and Ladders, but in reality, there are more than you thought. The primary and fundamental reason that board games are getting a considerable revival is that the industry is continuously rolling out new ones that are not only more fun, but also more challenging. If you browse over the main Kickstarter landing page, you’ll find that almost 55% of the highest funded projects are board games. One prominent example is the Settlers of Catan, which is spiking in popularity nowadays, potentially due to its fantastic marketing and ease of play. And speaking of marketing…

The internet boosted demand:

The second most common reason that board games are getting favorite is that the manufacturers of the games finally know that the modern age can only be convinced through the internet, so they have upped their marketing and advertisement to a whole new level, and introduced these new board games with an entirely different perspective that appeals to the young audience. Considering the fact the board games were one of the first games to be invented in the world nearly thousands of years ago, they won’t go down anytime soon!

The previous ones are getting newer variations:

You all played Chess, GO or Monopoly at least once in your life, right? Well, they’re getting some more expansions and spin-offs. If you search the classic board games on Kickstarter, many new fundraising campaigns have started for more modern variations of already existing games, like a Star Wars version of Monopoly, an expansion for Settlers of Catan to allow more players, a newer variety of Pandemic and many more. The creators are breaking the wall between media and board games, and because of that, they’re getting a whole lot accessible than they used to be!

That’s some of our thoughts on why the age of Board Games is rising again. Although no board game has beat the sales and popularity of the all-time classic Monopoly, there have been many new ones released that had the potential to, with the best ones being Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, Pandemic and Carcassonne. What are your thoughts on the recent spike in the popularity of different board games? Do you think it’ll be influential, or will this merely be buried into dust after a few months?

Read all of my board game blog posts at https://www.best-boardgames.uk. Hope to see you on my blog again. Thanks!

The Settlers of Catan is a pretty unique board game, and that uniqueness has made it win over ten awards. It can be played by over 3 to 4 players, but if you have more people you’d like to play with, you can use the expansion along with the baseboard to spice things up. This guide is aimed at total beginners to the game, so if you’re one of them, then you’ve come to the right place! Learn how to play this board game, then gather some friends and have fun!

Basics of the game:

• The primary objective of the board game is for you to be the first one to achieve ten victory points. Points can be earned by buying cards, building structures, and getting accomplishment cards like Largest Army and Longest Road.
• The box may contain the following items:
• 19 hexes of different terrains (4 sheep, three brick, four wheat, four wood, one dessert and three ore)
• 6 Sea Frame Pieces
• A robber pawn can be black or grey
• 18 number tokens
• 25 development cards, which include six progress cards, 14 knight cards, and five victory points.
• Four sets of wooden player pieces in 4 colours each with four cities, 15 roads and five settlements.
• Resource cards for all the terrains except for the desert.
• Two coloured dice, one yellow and one red
• Four building cost cards for each player.
• Most massive Army and Longest Road cards.

Starting the game:

• First off, you’ll make the outer frame using the sea frame pieces, and then place the hexes into the final frame such that all of it is filled up. Now, put the number tokens on top of the hexes. There will be 18 tokens, so don’t place one on the desert hex.
• Now, place the robber on the desert tile. It’s the pawn that looks like a bowling pin. You can’t move the robber unless you get a seven or play a knight card.
• Finally, keep the resource and development cards in reach for all players. Keep the resource cards faced up but in different stacks, one stack of sheep, one stack of rocks and vice versa. Keep the development cards away from the resource ones, and place them upside down. You can shuffle the development cards, but not the resource cards!

Playing the game:

• Now, each player throws the two dice. The one with the highest number chooses his/her colour and their first settlement. They can build their first settlement by placing their settlement at an intersection of three hexes. The player will then receive the resources around the settlement every time the dice number is equal to the number on the hexes.
• Now get your resource cards depending on the hexes on each side of your settlement. The turns go in a clockwise direction, to take turns and collect your resources when you are eligible to.
• Take a look at your building cost card to see what you need to build to get victory points and what resources they require.
• Development cards are the trump cards in this board game. The Knight allows you to move the robber at any hex, while the Monopoly card will enable you to collect all the resources you announce that they have in their hand.
• You can trade four same resource cards for a different resource card with any player. However, if you are at a particular or generic harbour, you can swap two cards or three same cards for any resource card. Keep playing and trading, and be the first to make as many settlements and buildings as possible, getting to the 10-victory point limit.
• When you win, announce that you have the ten victory points and walk away in style!

“My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don’t know. ”

Featuring the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 221B Baker Street is a game which will challenge your critical thinking abilities. The name of the game is derived from the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes’ residence located at 221B Baker Street.

About 221 B Baker Street: The Master Detective Board Game

221B Baker Street is a board game developed by Jay Moriarty under Antler Productions in 1975. The game was sold in the US since 1977, by John N. Hansen Co.

In this mind exercise game, the players will have to solve mysterious cases based on clues. The players can gather these clues by visiting different locations on the board. The areas include the following:

• 221B Baker Street, which is the start and the end location
• Chemist
• Carriage Depot
• Hotel
• Museum
• Scotland Yard
• Theater

Other sites have several entrances and exit points which players can use as a shortcut. The original 221B Baker Street game version only has 20 cases to solve. But the game now has ten expansion sets consist of 20 cases each. With this, a total of 200 cases are now available for play.

The Game Mechanics

A great mind game, 221B Baker Street is a game which can be played by two to six players. During the game, the players will assume the role of Sherlock Holmes as an investigator. They will compete with one another to determine who has the best skills in the art of deduction. Using the cases as clues, the players will try to identify the culprit,  weapon used, and motive behind the case. Each case features a small paragraph which gives the players bits of information about the crime they must resolve. The clues typically come in three forms – descriptive, a clue about the killer, weapon and motive or no evidence. Clues usually come in the form of a riddle and sometimes comes in multi-part clues.

The Gameplay

Here is how 221B Baker Street is played:

Step 1: Reading a case.

The game begins with one player reading the case aloud, and the rest of the players take note of the details of the case. It is recommended that a time limit will be set on reading the clue.

Step 2: Rolling the dice.

Each player will have to roll the six-sided dice to decide their movements on the board.

Step 3: Reading the clues.

Upon reaching a location after rolling the dice, the player reads the clues and make notes.

Step 4: Keep rolling.

Rolling of the dice continues until a winner emerges or all of the game players have played. If a player believes he or she have uncovered the case, that player may go back to the starting point. The player then announces the critical aspects of the crime – the culprit, weapon and motive. Other information may also be required as outlined in the introduction of the case. The players must then check the rulebook to verify the solution. If the player’s guess is wrong, that player gets excluded from the game.

Find all of my new entries at https://www.best-boardgames.uk. Thanks for your visit!