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Texas Hold’em Poker

Texas Hold’em is easily one of the most popular – if not the most popular – forms of poker. The game is both easy to pick up and offers a very real skill gradient to advance along.

Online, Texas Hold’em poker is supremely popular, partially because it’s so easy to follow. The masses pile into real-money poker rooms to compete against others, and many take on the house in games like Live Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker.

To help you get in or even improve your Texas Hold’em poker game, we’ve created this definitive guide. Keep scrolling to get to grips with the basics and lock in some key strategies.

Understanding the Basics of Texas Hold’em Poker

Texas Hold’em poker is a wonderfully simple game once you get to grips with the basics. Before we delve into the process of playing the game, here’s what you need to know.

Rules of Texas Hold’em Poker

Texas Hold’em poker is played over three rounds. Each round has its own round of betting and each will present a new Community card for everyone to use. If you don’t fold, this is how one game will go.

Pre Deal: Small Blind and Big Blind placed by the two players immediately to the left of the dealer.
Pre Flop: You get two cards (your Hole Cards) and bet.
Flop: Three Community cards are revealed and you can bet.
Turn: One more Community card is revealed and you can bet.
River: The fifth and final Community card is revealed, opening the table to the last round of betting.

A game of Texas Hold’em poker can easily be played between two, five, eight, ten, or even a few more players if you have a table that’s big enough!

In every game of player-versus-player Texas Hold’em poker, you’ll just use one standard 52-card deck. Even in Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em, one deck is used in every game.

If you’re playing online, the digital or physical deck (in live games) will be shuffled after every round. When playing with others, you can get a good idea of what’s left on the table in between shuffles.

After every turn, the dealer will change to the next player on the left, which changes the turn order, and when each player gets to make their decision to bet, raise, match, or fold.

Setting Up a Game of Texas Hold’em Poker

Setting up a game of poker requires at least two players, a dealer chip, and a standard deck of cards. You give one player the dealer chip before the initial deal and round of betting.

The player immediately to the left of the dealer’s chips puts down the predetermined Big Blind (€10, for example). The player to their left also puts down a Small Blind (half the size of the Big Blind).

When the round begins, anyone who wants to play has to meet or exceed the Big Blind when it’s their turn to bet or meet the new highest bet at the table.

Next, the dealer gives everyone two cards and lays out the Community cards. Anyone can use any of the Community cards in their final hand, and more than one player can use those same cards.

The objective of Texas Hold’em poker is to create a hand of up to five cards that ranks higher than all of the other hands at the table. However, you also need to have matched the top bet of each round to reveal if you’re a winner.

You can use your two Hole Cards and as many of the Community cards as you can to make the best hand. This is how the winning hands rank:

Along the way, there’ll be betting rounds. When it’s your turn to make a decision, you could raise the bet or match the current one to stay in the game. Doing either of these could also encourage others to fold.

If you fold, you can’t be in with a chance of winning the round. However, if you don’t have a good hand, betting to stay in the game could lose you valuable chips and give you less leverage at the table going forward.

Overall, your objective in Texas Hold’em poker is to capitalize on good hands, coaxing the other players into betting when you’re pretty sure that you’re going to win. It’s also important to know when it’s time to quit on a hand.

How to Play Texas Hold’em Poker Online

Getting started with online Texas Hold’em poker couldn’t be easier. First, all that you need to do is find a highly rated online poker platform and sign up as follows:

Click on the Create Account button;
Input your details and create your account information – including a username;
Verify your account via your email;
Make a deposit to get some real money to play at the table;
Go to the live lobby and pick a table to join.

Before picking your poker platform, however, it’s essential to check that it’s secure and verified. There are plenty of scam poker sites out there, so always check that your site is licensed and regulated by a recognised authority.

You should also be sure to always gamble responsibly. Only play Texas Hold’em poker when you’re sound of mind, always play within your limits, and never chase losses.

Fundamental Texas Hold’em Poker Strategies to Learn

To build up a strong foundational set of poker strategies, you need to consider your starting hand, your position at the table, and the pot odds.

Starting Hand

You can gauge your chances well from your initial hand, which will fall into one of five types as ranked below.

Pairs: Two cards of the same value.
Suited Connectors: Two cards of the same suit and successive.
Connectors: Two cards of successive values.
Suited Non-Connectors: Two cards of the same suit but not with successive values.
Non-Connectors: Two cards that aren’t of the same suit or successive in value.

To many, if you’re not playing either of the Blinds, a Non-Connectors hand is one to consider folding – especially if one of the cards isn’t a ten or higher. The higher up the rankings, the more you should want to keep in the game.

Table Position

Your position at the table should also play into your strategy. Being Under the Gun – the first player to act in the initial betting round – has different implications than for a player who bets later.

There’s a different strategy set for every table position and even bet sizing for each hand type, so there’s a lot to learn, but some strategies can help you play consistently.

Pot Odds

Pot Odds works a bit differently to the other poker strategies. Here, you’re looking to work out the difference between the pot size and the going bet.

You make a ratio out of the bet pot and the bet size and then convert it to a percentage to work out the likelihood of having a winning hand based on the size of an opponent’s bet.

Reading the Table

As well as the more systematic Texas Hold’em poker strategies, there are the more subjective strategies. Reading your opponents, adjusting your game to what you think other players are thinking, and bluffing all come into play.

It’s important to review the behaviour of others at the table - such as the time taken to decide on a bet or their bet sizing – and what kind of hands they end up with afterwards. These tells will likely be repeated later.

The phrase “keep your cards close to your chest” comes from poker for a reason: hiding any potential tells from others – unless you deploy them deliberately to dissuade them – is key to finding success at the table.

Navigating the Online Poker Tournament Scene

Along with the live poker games available, you can take a virtual seat at real-money poker tournaments online to face off against other players.

There are loads of different kinds of online poker tournaments, ranging from the gung-ho style of All-in Shootouts – where every hand has all players go all-in – to Sit & Go tournaments.

You’ll usually find most of these poker tournaments online at the leading platforms.

Sit & Go: Tournaments begin once all of the seats are filled without a set starting time.
Zoom: You have the option to immediately fold and get randomly assigned to another table.
Rebuy Tournaments: When you run out of chips, you can buy back in.
Multi-Table Tournaments: Players get moved between tables after others get eliminated until one remains.
Guaranteed Tournaments: The prize pool is a set, guaranteed amount and not dependent on the player count.
All-in Shootouts: Players go all-in on every hand.

Online poker tournaments are a great way to enhance your skills as you’re getting real experience against a mix of new and experienced players. Experience goes a long way in a game like Texas Hold’em poker.

As a beginner, it’s always best to play in the lower buy-in tournaments, but only when you know that you have enough time to complete the tournament should you make it to the final stage.

You can usually sort lobbies into tournaments of different-sized buy-ins and types. If it’s your first tournament, perhaps look for a low buy-in Sit & Go or Multi-Table tournament.

Final Tips for Your Texas Hold’em Poker Game

To find more success when playing Texas Hold’em poker online, consider taking these pro tips on board:

Put more value in opponents raising after the Turn and River;
Always raise a bet Pre Flop if you’re not one of the Blinds;
The ideal is to enter a game with a bankroll that can cover at least 20 buy-ins;
Don’t raise on a high card past the Flop if you don’t have to;
Exercise self-discipline by not getting carried away with your raises too early;
Be fixated on continuous learning by carefully tracking the behaviour of your opponents and what their tells mean;
As the Big Blind, check and then raise in the round to apply pressure more often.

Mistakes to Avoid

Here are some of the common mistakes to avoid:

Putting too much stock in Non-Connector Suited and Non-Connector hands;
Not calculating an accurate likelihood of someone else having a better hand;
Being afraid to fold Pre Flop;
Not putting pressure on others when you have a strong hand or are a Blind;
Playing too emotionally and getting sucked into big-stack bets.

FAQs

How Do I Play Texas Hold'em Poker Online?

To play Texas Hold’em poker online, you just need to find a licensed and regulated website, sign up, make a deposit, and then pick a table.

Can I Play Texas Hold'em Poker for Free Online?

Some of the best Texas Hold’em poker sites offer free gaming tables.

Are There Advanced Strategies for Texas Hold'em?

There are many advanced strategies for Texas Hold’em, including how to utilise your position and community cards to leverage a bluff.

How Can I Improve My Skills and Become a Better Poker Player?

The best way to improve your skills as a Texas Hold’em player is to get experience in real-money games and tournaments online as well as read about more advanced strategies.

Can I Play Texas Hold'em Poker on My Mobile Device?

You can almost certainly play Texas Hold’em poker on your mobile device with the platform of your choice.