Texas Holdem is played with a 52- card deck and the objective is to have the highest-ranking poker hand at the end of the round. There is a specific betting procedure followed throughout the hand to accomplish this. The game of Texas Hold’em is played identical to most poker games played on land except it is done with a “virtual” table, dealer and players (which are actually real people from around the world). A Texas Holdem online poker game can include as many as 10 poker players at one table or some tables may have a smaller maximum amount allowed. You can even play Texas Hold’em online one-to-one or in several different tournament styles.

Texas Holdem Trivia: Did you know Texas Holdem was not played in Las Vegas until 1967? This is the year a group of gamblers and card players from Texas first played it. This is also why it is called “Texas” Holdem – prior to this, it was referred to as simply “Holdem”.

Online Poker Tip(s): Make sure you completely understand the poker hands and their rankings before you ever play Texas Holdem poker online. Also, be aware of the table limits and betting structure used in the poker game you choose. You do not want to get involved until you understand these very basic and vital elements of any Texas Holdem game.

A round of Texas Holdem begins with two players placing mandatory bets known as “blinds”. These will be the first two players located on the left side of the poker dealer. Typically the blinds used for a game of Texas Hold’em include first a “small blind” in the amount of half the minimum table stake and then a “big blind” that is equal to the minimum table stake. An example of this would be a small blind of $2.50 and a big blind of $5 for a Texas Hold’em Limit game of $5/$10.

Each player seated around the table receives two cards face down. These cards are referred to as “hole cards” or “pocket cards” and they remain face down until the end of the hand. These cards are also known as “starting hands” that are discussed further later on.

NOTE: Since there is no “actual” real poker dealer in a round of online Texas Holdem poker, a small round disc or what is called the “button” (or “dealer button”) is used to designate who is acting as the dealer each round of a Texas Holdem poker game. This small disc is moved to the next player, once the complete hand has been played out.

Online Poker Tip(s): When you play Texas Holdem online you will see your first two cards face up and every other poker player’s cards will be shown face down. No one but you can see your cards until the end of the poker round. You may have heard about some forms of cheating devices that can read other poker players hands, but this is very unlikely to happen. The online poker websites use several security measures to prevent this from ever occurring. Playing Texas Holem online at reputable website will ensure you are playing a safe and secure poker game online.  

A betting round known as the “pre-flop” begins once poker players have received their first two cards. Bets begin with the first player seated next to the blind players and continue clockwise around the entire Texas Hold’em poker table. The player who makes the first bet during this round is known as being “Under the Gun”, since they are forced to make the first bet of the poker hand. Each player has the option to match the bet (know as “call”), raise the bet (increase the amount of the bet) or throw in their hand through “folding” their cards. The betting continues until every Texas Hold’em poker player has acted. The last player to act on the first round is the second blind player; this player can either raise the bet, if no other player has yet or simply leave the bet as is.

Once every poker player has acted, three additional cards are laid face-up in the center of the Texas Holdem poker table. These three cards are known as “the flop” and are used by every poker player to create the best five-card poker hand, which means the cards are “community cards”. Another round of betting takes place beginning with the first player seated to the left of the big blind player.