Thanks in large part to the World Series of Poker, Texas Holdem Poker has become the most popular variation of online poker. In our guide to Texas Holdem poker, we’ll cover:
Here are the online casinos our team of experts recommend US players use for playing Texas Holdem online:
Texas Holdem seems complicated at first, but is quite simple once you get a hold of the game’s rhythm and terms.
Put simply, in Texas Holdem poker, the player’s goal is to build the best possible poker hand using the two cards they’ve been dealt, and any three of the five community cards.
At the beginning of each game, each player will be dealt two cards face-down. These are your ‘pocket’ or ‘hole’ cards. The dealer will then begin gradually revealing the five community cards, with rounds of betting between.
The deal and wagering process in a game of Texas Holdem Poker goes like this:
Once all remaining players have finalized their bets, each player reveals their ‘hole’ cards, and the best poker hand wins the pot.
In Texas Holdem, like in other online poker variations, when it comes time to bet, players have five options: fold, check, bet, call, or raise.
Raise
Once you understand which bet types are available, you can apply those strategies to each of Texas Holdem’s betting rounds: pre-Flop, the Flop, the Turn, and the River.
After each player has been dealt their face-down cards – but before any community cards have been revealed – there is a “pre-flop” round of betting.
Like in most poker variations, there are big and small blinds – minimum buy-in amounts – and each player must at least ‘call’ the big blind amount in order to remain in the game.
Players also have the option to raise, if they have strong hole cards, or fold, if they do not have strong hole cards.
Once each player has either folded or wagered an equal amount, the first three community cards are revealed (the flop.)
Now that the first three community cards have been revealed, there is another round of betting. The player clockwise from the dealer is the first to go, and can choose from any of the bet types. Once this betting round is completed, the next community card is revealed (the turn.)
There are now four community cards face-up, plus the two face-down cards that each player has been dealt. Players should have a good understanding of what is in their hand and what they are targeting.
There is another round of betting at this time. Action once again begins with the active player clockwise from the dealer, and any of the bet types are available.
Once this betting round is complete, the final community card is revealed (the river.)
At this point, all cards have been revealed, and each player knows what their best possible hand is. There’s another round of betting – again, starting with the player immediately clockwise from the dealer – where all remaining players once again must choose to check, raise, call, or fold.
Once this final round of betting is finished, remaining players show their cards, and the best poker hand wins.
Keep your emotions in check, don’t chase losses, and don’t bet recklessly. Have a plan and stick to it. Winning at Texas Hold’em Poker is a marathon, not a sprint.
Expert poker players know that there’s no shame in folding if you think you’ve been beaten. Watch the table carefully, learn your opponent’s tendencies, and don’t let your ego take over. By folding when you’re beaten, you can protect your bankroll and live to fight another day.
This is a crucial part of any online wagering strategy, regardless of the game. Carefully decide how much money you have available per session & per hand, and stick to it. For beginners, we recommend setting a self-limitation of no more than two buy-ins per session.
There are a few popular variations of Texas Holdem Poker that you’ll encounter online. While the rules largely remain the same, there are slight changes to the betting structures. Make sure you understand which variation you’re playing.
In No-Limit Holdem, players can wager as much as they want (or as many chips as they have available.) The miminum bet is typically the same size as the big blind.
This variation often has a minimum raise amount – if a player wants to raise, the raise amount must be at least as much as the round’s previous raise or bet.
In Limit Holdem, bet sizes are pre-determined.
Pre-flop and on the flop, raises and bets are the same size as the big blind.
On the turn and the river, all bets and raises are equivalent to twice the big blind.
Mixed Texas Holdem is exactly what it sounds like – the game switches back and forth between rounds of Limit and No-Limit Holdem.
The betting rules for each round match the game type, and note that each round’s blind sizes may adjust depending on which variation is currently being played.
In Pot Limit Holdem, players’ bets are limited to the size of the pot (e.g. if the pot is $20, the maximum bet allowed would be $20.) Minimum bets for this variation are the size of the big blind.
This variation, like No-Limit, has a minimum raise amount – for a player to raise, their raise amount must at minimum match the current round’s most recent raise or bet.
No, enjoying Texas Hold’Em Poker online is legal and no one in the United States has ever been prosecuted federally or at the state level.
There are four rounds of betting in Texas Hold’Em Poker. The first betting round is done pre-flop when players only have their two hole cards. The next opportunity to wager is after the flop when the first three community cards are distributed. The turn is after the fourth community card is shown and the final betting round is after the last shared card (the river) has been revealed.
The first thing you need to do to get started with Texas Hold’Em online Poker is to sign up to a poker room. At the top of the page, our casino experts have listed a few of their favorite and trusted poker sites.
In Texas Hold’Em Poker each players receive two cards face down referred to as hole card. Then throughout betting rounds, five more cards are eventually distributed in the middle of the table. These cards are called the “community cards or shared cards” because each player uses them.
Most online casinos and online poker rooms have Texas Hold’Em poker free games. These free poker games are great for new players looking to play hands and get some experience or veteran players experimenting with new strategies.
