How to Play Texas Hold’em: A Beginner’s Guide

A guide to playing Texas Hold’em, the most popular variation of poker at most online and brick-and-mortar casinos

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Poker continues to be the most popular card game in the world, with physical and virtual tables a staple of online casinos and brick-and-mortar venues.

And while a game that traces its origins over centuries still retains several different variations, one particular type of poker game stands out from the crowd; Texas Hold’em.

As with other types of poker, Texas Hold’em can appear complicated, but it is easier than it looks. Although it can be fairly easy to learn, it takes time to become a seasoned player, making it ideal for both casual players and serious competitors.

We will cover the basics for beginners, from how to play Texas Hold’em and how to win, to the key strategies and the most important Texas Hold’em rules you need to know before starting your online poker experience.

What is Texas Hold’em?

Texas Hold’em is one of the most popular variations of poker. This format is often used in tournaments and is arguably the more ‘straightforward’ of the variations you’ll find when using the best online poker sites.

The game begins when two cards, known as hole cards, are dealt face-down to each player before five community cards are dealt face-up in three stages.

The aim is to get the best five-card poker hand from any combination of the seven cards – the five community cards and their two hole cards.

How to win at Texas Hold’em

The objective of Texas Hold’em is to win chips by having the best hand or by forcing all other players to fold (whether through bluffing or similar strategies).

Players compete to make the best five-card hand using their two cards and the five community cards that are dealt.

During play, players have the options to bet, raise, call, check and fold, depending on their strategy and the cards they were dealt.

At the end of each round comes the showdown, during which the hands are compared to determine a winner. Once this is done, the round ends.

The rounds continue until one player holds all the chips – they are then the winner.

Basic rules of Texas Hold’em

Here is a basic step-by-step walkthrough of Texas Hold’em poker rules you need to know before signing up for established or new casino sites online.

Hole cards: Each player is dealt two cards, called hole cards. Only the player can see these cards.

Community cards: Five community cards are dealt face-up in the middle of the table. Players combine their hole cards with the community cards to form the best hand possible (note that everyone can see the community cards, of course).

Betting rounds: There are then four rounds of betting in Texas Hold’em. These are called the Preflop, Flop, Turn, and River (which is the final round) - these will be covered in more detail later.

Texas Hold’em hand rankings

It’s important to understand that the hand rankings involved in Texas Hold’em poker before deciding when to bet, raise, or fold. To that end, we have provided a list of poker hand rankings, from highest to lowest.

Royal flush: A royal flush is the name for a hand in which the player has Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 all in the same suit. It is the strongest and rarest hand.

Straight flush: This hand contains five cards in a row that are all of the same suit. An example would be a hand with 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, all of which were Hearts.

Four of a kind: A four of a kind contains four cards of the same value.

Full house: A full house is a hand that contains a three of a kind as well as a pair. An example would be a hand with three 4s and two Kings.

Flush: A flush contains five cards that are all of the same suit.

Straight: A straight contains a basic numerical sequence of cards that are different suits.

Three of a kind: This hand contains three cards of the same value, plus two others which are not a pair. An example would be a hand with three 5s, a 7 and an Ace.

Two pair: A two pair hand simply contains two pairs and one other card that doesn’t match.

One pair: This is the name for a hand that contains just one pair and no other matching cards.

High card: This is the name for a hand in which no two cards match. The ‘high card’ is simply the highest card you have.

Betting rounds: How to play each round

Now that you are aware of the various hands and their strengths, we will break down the four rounds of betting in order to further our understanding of how to play Texas Hold’em for beginners.

Preflop:

This comes after each player is dealt two hole cards, but before the first round of betting. Players can call (match the current bet), raise (increase the bet), or fold (discard their cards and exit the hand).

The Flop:

The dealer places three community cards face-up. Players can now determine the strength of their hand. Another round of betting then takes place, in which players can call, raise or fold once more.

The Turn:

A fourth community card is dealt face-up, and players again have the opportunity to bet or check.

The River (final round):

The final (fifth) community card is dealt. Players make their best five-card hand using any combination of the two hole cards and five available community cards.

A final round of betting then occurs before the showdown.

Showdown

The Showdown is the point at which the remaining players reveal their cards to determine the winner. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot.

If all other players fold before the showdown, the last player remaining automatically wins the pot without revealing their cards.

Blinds and Dealer button: Understanding position

In Texas Hold’em, the blinds are the names given to the bets that two players make before seeing their cards (they are betting ‘blind’).

The player to the dealer’s left posts the small blind, and the player to their left posts the big blind. These forced bets ensure money is always in the pot but are bets without seeing community cards.

In any poker game, position (for example, playing first vs playing last) can be crucial to strategy, as it influences both your own game and that of others.

In Texas Hold’em, the dealer button is an important feature of the game, as it rotates clockwise after each hand, shifting the blinds and the order of play, thereby making sure that no player operates at a disadvantage for too long.

Basic strategy tips for beginners

Now that you know how to play Texas Hold’em, we have provided some strategy tips below to help evolve your game that will allow you over time to move to higher stakes games.

Starting hand selection: Strong starting hands, such as high pairs (Ace-Ace, or King-King) or high-suited connectors (Ace-King suited), are worth playing, while weaker hands are better to fold. Remember to memorise the ranking on hands.

Playing in position: Players to be more aggressive when they’re in late position (closer to the dealer) because they get to see how their opponents behave before they themselves make decisions.

Betting smart: Knowing when to bet, raise, or fold is key to success in Texas Hold’em. Do not bet too much on weak hands.

Bluffing: Bluffing can form a key part of a good betting strategy, but it should be used sparingly by new players until they become more confident.

Start slow: Start your Texas Hold’em poker experience by using free or low-stakes games. There will be casino bonuses on hand for signing up to new poker sites that can also allow users to use free bets instead of their own funds.

Key poker terms every player should know

Below is a section that includes key terms and phrases related to Texas Hold’em.

Call: Once a bet has been placed, other players have the option to ‘call’ it, which means to match the bet in order to continue playing the hand.

Raise: When a player wants to increase the size of the initial bet, they ‘raise’ it.

Fold: This is the action of discarding your cards face down and taking no further part in the hand, thereby forfeiting your chance to win the hand but also preserving your chips.

Check: This means to place no additional bet. It is essentially ‘skipping your go’, as the action passes to the next player, but you cannot check if a bet occurs before your turn in the round. It is different from a fold as you still keep your place in the round.

All-in: Going ‘all-in’ simply means betting all of your remaining chips.

Pot odds: This is the ratio between the size of the pot and the size of the bet.

Kicker: Also known as a ‘side card’, the kicker is the card, or cards, in your hand that do not determine the rank of the hand, but could be used to break ties if two players have hands of the same rank. For example, in a hand of King-King-Queen, 5, 2, the Queen, 5 and 2 are all kickers. In this case, you would likely win, and the Queen is a high card.

Responsible gambling

Gambling is a form of entertainment, not a way to make money.

Please remember to bet responsibly when you play poker – it can be difficult to get to grips with at first, and your losses can quickly build up, so remember to never wager more than you can afford to lose, and never chase your losses.

Take steps to remain in control of your budget. If necessary, use the various responsible gambling tools offered by gambling sites, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.

If you need help with gambling-related issues, there is free support and additional information available on the websites of the following charities and healthcare providers:

• NHS Help
• GambleAware
• Gamblers Anonymous

Summary: How to play Texas Hold’Em

When starting out playing Texas Hold’em learn the basics of the game first as it takes time to understand.

Remember to learn the different hands and how they rank in terms of Texas Hold’em. You’ll also need to learn the stages of the game and how to develop your strategy in each betting round and your position on the table.

Beginners should try and partake in low-stakes games or free games to build experience and improve skills, until you feel confident in being able to take on potentially far more experienced players.

Remember to always gamble responsibly, and make use of safer gambling tools and resources if needed.

How to play Texas Hold’em FAQs

What is Texas Hold’em?

Texas Hold’em poker is one of the most popular variations of poker in the world. Two ‘hole cards’ are dealt face-down to each player, and then five community cards are dealt face-up in three stages. The aim is to get the best five-card hand.

How do you win at Texas Hold’em?

The objective of the game is to win the chips of other players, as the game as a whole ends when no other player has any chips remaining to bet. Winning chips is done either by having the best hand, or by convincing other players to fold if your hand is worse.

What is the best Texas Hold’em hand?

The best hand in Texas Hold’em is known as a royal flush. This is when the player has Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 all in the same suit. It is the strongest and rarest hand.

What is the small blind in Texas Hold’em?

According to Texas Hold’em rules, the player to the left of the dealer must place a bet before they see their cards, in order to ensure there is money in the pot at the start of each round. This player is called the small blind.

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