Online Gambling: Texas Hold'em Tutorial

Texas Hold'em Variants

For those of you that come from a background of online gambling, Texas Hold'em isn't a table game in the same guise as casino poker. Instead of playing against the house, this game pits you against a series of players. To make sure you don't confuse Texas Hold'em with other forms of poker, here's a quick rundown of some online gambling poker variants:

Casino Hold'em: Beat the dealer and get paid when you have a ranked hand.

Ten High Hold'em: Much the same as Casino Hold'em, except players earn big bonuses for hands that include a ten.

Mulligan Poker: In Mulligan Poker you are dealt five cards. Players then have the option of keeping their hand or calling Mulligan and getting five new cards. The dealer will also be able to take a mulligan if they have king high or lower. Beat the dealer and win.

Pai Gow Poker: In Pai Gow you are dealt seven cards. Players then make two hands. A two card hand a five card hand. Both these hands go heads up against the dealer, with the player able to win both, tie and lose both.

Caribbean Stud Poker (Progressive): Player is dealt five cards. Different hands have a different pay rate, but if you can get a royal flush you will pocket the progressive jackpot.

Online Gambling with Hold'em Poker

In contrast to these variants of online gambling poker, Texas Hold'em is a game played between willing participants. The game is EV neutral which means that no one at the table has an inherent edge and this is one of the reasons why Texas Hold'em betting is popular among gambling aficionados.

To give you a better insight into why, compared to other activities involving online gambling, Texas Hold'em is the "thinking man's game" it's important to run through the game's basic mechanics.

In essence the aim of the game is simple: win the pot by any means possible. In practical terms there are two main ways you can win the pot: by having the best hand or by bluffing. Having the superior hand means that your cards are better than your opponent's at a showdown and bluffing is where you force your opponent to fold before a showdown.

A hand of Texas Hold'em uses five cards which can be any combination of a player's two hole cards (the cards they are dealt) and the five community cards. This means that a player can use one, two or none of their cards in conjunction with the five cards in the middle to make a hand ranging from a pair up to a Royal Flush.

With this in mind a player must measure the value of their two starting cards before any of the community cards are revealed and decide whether or not the hand is worth playing. If they feel the cards are too weak then they can simply fold. However, if they like their hand then they must either call or raise (the size of each will be determined by the table stakes and the previous action).

This process is repeated by each player at the table until everyone has either folded or met the minimum bet. A point to note here is the each new hand starts with a player in the small blind and one in the big blind. These forced bets kick off the action and it's the player to the left of the big blind who starts the action.

After all the pre-flop action has been completed the first three community cards (the flop) are revealed. At this point another round of betting ensues with players having the option to check (take a free card if no previous betting has occurred), bet or fold based on the current strength of their hand. This process is repeated on the turn (the fourth card) and then again on the river (the fifth and final card).

If at least two players are still in the hand by the river then a showdown takes place and the best five-card hand wins. However, if at any point during the hand only one player remains then they are declared the winner by default and thus scoop the pot.

Online Poker's Betting Limits:

When you're gambling online, Texas Hold'em comes in three main forms: No Limit, Pot Limit and Limit. Each variant has its own betting subtleties, but all have the same fundamental principles.

No Limit Texas Hold'em: As the name suggests, in No Limit there is no maximum amount a player can bet. At any point in the game, a player can push all their chips into the middle of the table.

Pot Limit Texas Hold'em: In Pot Limit a player can only bet a maximum of what is already in the pot. Pot limit is a good choice for those players who enjoy the excitement of big bets but don't like the idea of risking their entire stack on a single hand.

Limit Texas Hold'em: In Limit Hold'em a player can only bet the specified table limit. There are always two limits given on limit tables, for example $1/$2. This means that a player can bet $1 on the first two rounds of betting and $2 in the second two rounds.

Top Texas Hold'em Betting Tips

Before we send you off to enjoy our best Texas Hold'em sites, here are a few tips to help you improve your win rate.

Play Less:One of the biggest mistakes novice players make when it comes to online gambling, Texas Hold'em in particular, is to make too many bets. Although the prospect of making a strong hand or bluffing is appealing, it can actually be a major drain on your cash if you get involved in too many pots.

One important fact to remember is that you will make a pair less than 2/3 of the time when you play Texas Hold'em, and this often means you'll have to fold a lot post-flop. So if you really want to make more money at the felt, make sure you choose your hands carefully.

Play Aggressively:Coupled with a propensity to play too many hands, novice players will often adopt a passive strategy when they enter a pot. When it comes to betting, Texas Hold'em is all about aggression. This means you should always be looking to raise or re-raise whenever you enter a pot. There's an old adage in poker that you should try to remember if you want to make more money: "If a hand is not worth raising, then it's not worth playing."

Play in Position:Position is king at the poker table and before you enter any pot you should consider where you are in relation to the button, the blinds and any active players. Basically, you should play more hands the closer you are to the button because you'll have the benefit of extra information. Sometimes playing out of position is unavoidable, but if you want to have the greatest advantage over your opponents, then you should always play in position.

Finding the Top Texas Hold'em Site

Hopefully by now you've got a good insight into the mechanics of Texas Hold'em and how you can maximize your profit at the felt. Armed with this knowledge, it's now time for you to venture off and start enjoying the game for yourself. By choosing one of our recommended poker sites you can gamble online safe in the knowledge that your bankroll isn't at risk. Not only that but all of our top Texas Hold'em platforms are stocked with bonuses and VIP rewards to give your bankroll the perfect start in life.