THE TOP ONLINE CASINOS FOR TEXAS HOLD 'EM BY SPORTSGRID
Sportsgrid-Staff
Texas Hold ’em is the most popular form of poker because it is exciting to both watch and play. More than half of the events in the World Series of Poker are Texas Hold ’em games, and the community card game is the only type of poker played during the competition’s main event. Poker players love Texas Hold ’em because the action is frantic and the pots are big, and almost every online casino offers the game in both live dealer and video forms.
If you want to play Texas Hold ’em online for real money, there are dozens of casinos that would love to earn your business. That’s good news for you because casinos have to offer generous incentives to attract new players when competition is fierce. Casinos may agree to match up to 100% of your initial deposit to encourage you to open an account, or they could offer you free spins, tournament passes or casino credits. Comparing these sign-up bonuses and reading the terms and conditions that must be met to earn them can make choosing the right online casino difficult, and that’s where we come in. SportsGrid has done all of the hard work for you, so all you have to do is sign up and play. Here is a list of online casinos that offer some of the best welcome packages for Texas Hold ’em players.
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Casino |
Offer |
Bonus Code |
Games Variety |
Claim Your Offer! |
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100% Deposit Match Up to $1,000, Up to $2,500 in Reward Credits |
SGRID2500 |
Video and Live Dealer Poker, Poker Tournaments, Regular and Ultimate Texas Hold ’em |
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100% Deposit Match Up to $1,000 |
No Promo Code Needed |
Video and Live Dealer Poker, Poker Tournaments, Poker School |
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100% Deposit Match up to $500 |
No Promo Code Needed |
Video and Live Dealer Poker, Multi-Table Poker Tournaments |
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Play $5, get $50 |
No Promo Code Needed |
Video and Live Dealer Poker, Poker Tournaments, Regular and Ultimate Texas Hold ’em |
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New Player Offer: 10 Days of Spins. Get up to 200 spins |
No Promo Code Needed |
Video and Live Dealer Poker, Multi-Table Poker Tournaments |
Register Now! |
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Deposit $5 for $50 in Casino Credits |
No Promo Code Needed |
Video and Live Dealer Poker, Regular and Ultimate Texas Hold ’em |
How to Play Texas Hold ’em. Learn All the Rules
In a game of Texas Hold ’em, each player is dealt two cards face down, and five cards are dealt face up in stages in the middle of the table. The two down cards are called pocket or hole cards, and the five cards in the middle of the table are called community cards. When all of the rounds of betting are finished, the player who can make the strongest five-card hand is the winner. Players can use any combination of cards to make a winning hand, so they do not have to use their down cards. Before any cards are dealt, a dealer button and a big and small blind are chosen.
The Dealer Button
In a casual game of Texas Hold ’em, the player sitting to the left of the dealer opens the betting. This is not possible in a casino because the cards are dealt by either a computer or a live dealer who does not play. To get around this problem, a player is chosen to be the dealer button. The dealer button does not deal any cards, but he or she determines the betting order. The dealer button position rotates clockwise as hands are played, and it is a very good seat to have. The dealer button gets to see how every other player bets before they decide whether to call, raise or fold, so they have a distinct advantage. That’s why the dealer button rotates.
Blinds
Players usually do not ante before a game of Texas Hold ‘em, so blinds are used to make sure that players bet and the pot grows. The player to the left of the dealer button is called the small blind. This player must bet an amount that is half of the table’s minimum bet. The player to the left of the small blind is called the big blind. This player must bet double the small blind’s bet, which is the table’s minimum bet. These are mandatory bets to get the game started, and they are called blind bets because players make them before they see their cards. Once the small and big blinds have placed their bets, all of the players receive their pocket cards.
The Preflop
Preflop betting takes place after all of the players have received their pocket cards but before any community cards are dealt. The player to the left of the big blind opens, and the dealer button bets last.
The Flop
After all of the players have made their preflop bets or folded, the dealer places three community cards on the table face up. These are called the flop cards. Once the flop cards have been dealt, the small blind opens the betting.
The Turn
The fourth community card is called the turn. This card gives players another chance to bet. The small blind opens the betting, and the dealer button bets last.
The River
The fifth and final community card is called the river. River betting follows the same rules as flop and turn betting. By this point in the game, there are rarely more than two or three players still betting.
The Showdown
The showdown is what determines the winner in a game of Texas Hold ’em. After all of the bets have been made, the remaining players show their pocket cards to reveal their hands. The player with the strongest hand is then declared the winner and takes the pot.
Ultimate Texas Hold ’em
Poker has a very steep learning curve, and experienced players will usually beat novices regardless of the cards they are dealt. Ultimate Texas Hold ’em is a game many online casinos now offer to make the game more accessible for new players and remove the edge that experience provides. In a game of ultimate Texas Hold ’em, players play against the dealer instead of each other. The game is basically a cross between traditional poker and blackjack.
Betting Limits in Texas Hold ’em
Many people become enthusiastic about Texas Hold ’em after watching videos of tournament players going all-in with millions of dollars at stake, but that type of game is actually quite rare. Most games of Texas Hold ’em have rules that establish a minimum and maximum bet. Here are some of the most common betting options for Texas Hold ’em.
Limit Games
In a limit game of Texas Hold ’em, the minimum and maximum bets are established before any cards are dealt. The small blind will bet half the table minimum before players receive their pocket cards, and the big blind will bet the table minimum.
No Limit Games
No limit games of Texas Hold ’em have a minimum bet, but there is no cap on how much players can put on the table. This is the game that is played in tournaments like the World Series of Poker. Players in a no limit game can bet as much as they have in chips, which means they can go all-in if their hands are strong enough or they think other players are bluffing.
Pot Limit Games
In a pot limit game of Texas Hold ’em, players can make bets as large as the amount in the pot. This means the maximum bet grows larger as the pot grows larger. If several players re-raise during a game of pot limit Texas Hold ’em, the amount of money on the table can grow very quickly.
Hand Rankings in Texas Hold ’em
The winner of a game of Texas Hold ’em is the player with the strongest hand. Here are the 10 types of hands that can win the game ranked in inverse order to their strength:
- High card: A high card is the weakest hand that can win a game of Texas Hold ’em. The best high card hand is an ace high. This is an ace with four cards that cannot be combined to form a pair, straight or flush. Cards that do not form part of a hand are called kickers. If two players have the same high card, the player with highest-ranking kicker will win.
- Pair: A pair is a hand with two cards that have the same face value and three kickers. If two players have the same pair, the player with the highest-ranking kicker is the winner. If players have the same highest-ranking kicker, the player with the highest-ranking second kicker will win. A pair is the most common winning hand in Texas Hold ’em.
- Two pair: This is a hand with two cards of the same rank, two cards of a different rank and one kicker. Two pair is the second most common winning hand in Texas Hold ’em.
- Three of a kind: A three of a kind is a hand with three cards of the same rank and two kickers. Two players cannot have the same three of a kind because Texas Hold ’em is played with a single deck of cards, so the kickers in this kind of a hand are unimportant.
- Straight: A straight is a hand that contains five sequential cards that are not all the same suit. If two players finish a game of Texas Hold ’em with a straight, the hand with the highest card wins. This means that a straight that contains an ace will beat any other straight.
- Flush: A flush contains five non-sequential cards that are all the same suit. Like a straight, the strength of a flush is determined by the highest-ranking card.
- Full house: Players make a full house when their hands contain a three of a kind and a pair. A full house is sometimes called a boat. If two players make a full house, the hand with the highest-ranking three of a kind will win. This means that a full house made up of three 9s and two 3s will beat a full house made up of three 7s and two aces.
- Four of a kind: A hand containing four cards of the same rank is very rare and very hard to beat. This kind of hand is sometimes called a quad.
- Straight flush: This is the hand that won James Bond a game of Texas Hold ’em in the movie “Casino Royale.” It is made up of five sequential cards of the same suit.
- Royal flush: The royal flush is the best possible hand in a game of Texas Hold ’em, and many great players never make one. This hand contains a 10, jack, queen, king and ace that are all the same suit.
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Type of Hand |
Percentage of Texas Hold ’em Games Won |
|
High Card |
17.4% |
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Pair |
43.8% |
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Two Pair |
23.5% |
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Three of a Kind |
4.83% |
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Straight |
4.62% |
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Flush |
3.03% |
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Full House |
2.60% |
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Four of a Kind |
0.168% |
|
Straight Flush |
0.0279% |
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Royal Flush |
0.0032% |
Practical Tips and Strategies for Playing Texas Hold ’em
Texas Hold ’em is a great game, but playing it well takes discipline and skill. Here are five tips that could take your Texas Hold ’em game to the next level:
- Follow a tight-aggressive strategy: Playing tight means only betting when you have a good chance of making a strong hand, and playing aggressively means betting big when you have the right cards.
- Study your opponents: You won’t be able to see your opponents’ tells when you play Texas Hold ’em online, but you will be able to learn about them by watching their betting patterns and keeping track of their hands.
- Practice to hone your skills: You may be tempted to jump in at the deep end and start playing no limit games of Texas Hold ’em right away, but you will probably be more successful if you start out playing for no money or small stakes.
- Consider your table position: If you are torn between betting and folding, think about your table position. It may be a good idea to fold if you are one of the blinds, but you will have a better idea of how the hand will play out if you are the dealer button.
- Use casino bonuses: If you open an account at an online casino that includes game credits or free bets in its welcome package, you will be able to play and learn Texas Hold ’em without risking any of your own money.
