What Is Texas Holdem

Knowing how to play Texas Holdem in a casino make your gaming sessions more fun and profitable. With a few casino Texas Holdem tips and considerable practice, you can gain an advantage over your opponents. Since Texas Holdem is so popular, you’ll always be able to find online Texas Holdem for real money. The question is finding the best online card rooms with the easiest competition.

Texas Hold ’em is by far the most popular poker game in casinos around the world. It is a variation of 7 card stud poker, where 5 of the cards are dealt in the middle of the table, and can be used by anyone in the hand. Each player is dealt 2 cards, face. A lot of Texas Hold 'Em strategy is based on the cards in your hand. You must be willing to suffer through a series of poor hands (e.g. 5-8, 2-6, 4-9) without getting impatient. The good hands will come, eventually, and you'll be in a better position to take advantage of them if you don't waste your chips trying to get something out of nothing.

Playing Real Money Texas Hold’em

This page shows players everything they need to know to play real money Texas Hold’em. It covers the basic rules of Hold’em, while providing tips and strategies to help card players improve their results. We offer a list of the best real money Texas Hold’em sites, whether you gamble using a desktop computer or mobile smartphone. This page also includes recommendations on the best apps, which provide key information on hand histories and opponent tendencies.

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How to Play Texas Hold’em

Most people grow up playing draw poker, where each player holds their own set of cards. Texas Holdem rules stipulate “community cards”, which all the players at the table share. Community cards set up a whole different dynamic than draw poker, so even experienced card players need to read a whole different set of casino Texas Holdem tips. Changes in how the game is played online mean those same players need special strategies to learn how to play Texas Holdem at an online casino, if they want to be successful. Let’s start with basic instructions on how to play Texas Hold’em.

Step 1: Each Players Gets Two Hole Cards

The hole cards are dealt first. Hole cards are the two face-down cards that each player gets to start their hand with. A round of betting follows the deal of the hole cards.

Step 2: The Flop

After the opening round of betting, the flop is dealt. The flop consists of three cards dealt face up on the board, for the community of players. When the flop is dealt, most of the information that can be known about the hand is out there. There are only seven cards in a game of Holdem, and five of them are known after the flop comes. A second a round of betting follows the flop cards.

Step 3: The Turn Card

The Turn is a single card dealt after the betting on the flop, the fourth community card. Another round of betting follows the Turn. Remember that the limits on the bets go up on the last two rounds of betting in a Texas Holdem game.

Step 4: The River Card

The River is the fifth community card dealt. A final round of betting follows the river card, and the best hand determines the winner.

Step 5: The Showdown

If at any point in a hand there’s only one player left–in other words, if everyone folds, the player still in the hand wins the pot by default. Anytime the bet comes to a player, they have the option to call, raise, or fold. Texas Hold’em strategy involves knowing when to fold, because bad poker players tend to stay in hands too long. Raising a hand forces your opponent to make a decision, so focus on Texas Hold’em tips which teach you how to raise the pot.

How Texas Hold’em Is Dealt

If you’ve watched televised poker, you’ve seen a hand of Texas Hold’em played. For those who haven’t seen a live poker event online or on tv, below is an explanation of how Texas Holdem is dealt. Keep in mind while readings steps 1 through 4 that, in No-Limit Texas Hold’em, a bettor can go all-in during any of the four rounds of betting. All-in puts all your chips at stake, if you do not have as many chips as your opponent in the hand.

The Best Real Money Texas Hold’em Sites

The best real money Texas Hold’em sites offer a big player pool and a wide variety of games. The size of the poker player community on a site is pivotal, because it determines the guaranteed prize pool in the site’s biggest online poker tournaments. Player liquidity also determines how many tables are full, which affects the type of games, the number of variant rules offered, and the variety of betting limits. The Texas Hold’em sites below have big player pools, a large selection of games, and huge guaranteed prize pools. Our recommended sites have a good reputation, are known to pay players on time, and offer a nice poker bonus that can be used as real money when playing Texas Holdem.

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Texas Hold’em Rules

Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker game variation being played today. Texas Holdem rules are easy to learn. Below are the key rules every player should remember when playing Texas Hold’em.

Rule #1: Blinds and Antes: Texas Hold’em has two types of blind bets: the big blind and the small blind. Blind betting forces the action at the table, so every pot has action, even if all but one player folds after the deal. Texas Holdem casino rules do not have ante bets, so most players at a 9-seat table do not have a required bet each hand. The big and small blinds rotate around the table on a clockwise basis, usually the first two bettors left of the button. Throughout a tournament, the blinds increase in order to drive action.

Rule #2: The Button: The button follows the player who is the acting dealer in a given hand. This tells who is the last acting player in post-flop streets of play. The player “on the button” thus gets a big advantage, because he or she gets to see what decisions all other players make first.

Rule #3: Best 5-Card Hand: The object of Texas Hold’em is to build the best 5-card hand using your 2 hole cards and the 5 community cards. Any two can be discarded, including the two cards in your hand, though that is rare. Other players have 5 cards in common with you, so the strength of your two hole cards tend to be supremely important.

Rule #4: Poker Rake: In Texas Holdem online real money events, the house takes a rake of each pot. The poker software does this automatically, but you need to be aware of the poker rake at each website, because this affects how much you win or lose. Rake percentage is also one of the factors we use to rate online poker sites.

Rule #5: The Bubble: This is the point in the tournament when players receive winnings. Like the bubble in March Madness, those on the outside of the bubble lose and those who make the bubble win. When playing online Texas Hold’em tournaments, you need to be aware of the bubble and how it affects the aggressiveness of players remaining in the event.

Rule #6: Bet Limits: Different variations of Texas Holdem poker rules exist for betting limits: Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Hold’em, and No-Limit Hold’em. Limit Holdem restricts the bets on the pre-flop and flop rounds of betting to the size of the big blind (“the small bet”), while it is limited to two times the big blind (“the big bet”) during the turn and the river. In Pot-Limit Hold’em, the maximum raise is the current size of the pot. In No-Limit Hold’em, players may make a bet equal to all the chips the player has at the table.

Texas Hold’em Poker Hands

The traditional poker hand ranks apply in Texas Holdem. The royal flush is strongest, followed by the straight flush. The four of a kind is the third best hand, followed by a full house. The next best hands are the flush, the straight, and the three of a kind. Two pair are next best, followed by a pair. If no one in the showdown holds a pair or better, then the high card wins the pot.

Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Hold’em, and No Limit Hold’em

There are three betting limits when playing Texas Holdem: limit, pot limit, and no-limit.

Limit Holdem Games

Texas holdem is played with table limits. In limit holdem, the amounts of the bets are set. For example, if you’re playing in a $3/$6 Texas holdem game, the bets during the first two betting rounds are in amounts of $3, while the bets in the final two rounds are in amounts of $6.

Pot Limit

In a pot limit holdem game, the player can bet as much money as the pot contains. So if there’s $100 in the pot, a player can bet $100.

The Popular No Limit Games

In a no limit holdem game, a player can bet as much money as They has in front of their at the table.

If a player can’t cover a raise, they don’t automatically lose. They’re only able to win the amount that they can cover, and a side pot is created for the differences. In real life, people don’t usually lose their wives or houses just because they don’t have enough money on the table to call a bet.

Texas Hold’em Tips & Strategy when Playing for Money

Most beginners will be able to hold their own with just that little bit of Texas Holdem strategy advice, but there’s a lot more to the game’s strategy than just that. Even understanding starting hands can take quite a bit of study and practice to figure out.

Starting Hand Requirements

The strength of the two hole cards you’re dealt should determine whether or not you even play a hand. The best possible hole cards you can have are a pair of aces, while the worst is a deuce seven offsuit. Pairs in the hole are often playable.

1. Suited Connectors – Suited connectors are two cards that can potentially generate a straight, a flush, or a straight flush. You can play them sometimes, but they are speculative.

2. Looking for an Ace-High Flush – Having an ace with another lower ranked card can sometimes be playable, but usually only if they’re of the same suit. In this case, you’re hoping for an ace-high flush.

Betting Position

The strength of your hole cards isn’t the only thing to consider when deciding whether or not to fold before the flop. Your position (relative to the button) matters too. Position matters, because it determines how many bettors play behind you, thus forcing you out of a pot after making a call or raise.

1. Early Position & Marginal Hand – If you’re acting early in the betting round, and you have a marginal hand, you’re better off folding. This is because someone behind you might hold strong cards and raise your bet, forcing you to fold.

2. Late Betting Position Advantage – If you’re acting late in the betting round, and you have a speculative hand, then calling can be a good strategy if you can get into the pot cheap (especially if there are a lot of players in the pot). You won’t win very often with speculative hands, but if you’re in late position, and a lot of players are in the pot with you, you’ll get a big payoff when you do win.

Post-Flop Betting

Once the flop hits, you have to decide again whether or not to continue to play your hand. Look at how well the flop complements the hole cards you have. Betting post-flop is situational; you’ll need to figure out what possible hands your opponents have and how they stack up against your hand.

1. Folding with Two Aces – If you have a pair of aces and the Flop comes KK8. If the 8 matches the suit of one of the kings, you’ve got a lot of potential things to worry about. Anyone holding an ace probably has you beat. Anyone with two suited cards that match the two suits on the board has a strong flush draw. You’re better off folding.

2. Going Strong with Two Aces – On the other hand, if you have pocket aces and an ace hits on the flop, you’re in good shape. Or if you have an ace and a king of the same suit, and the flop comes up with two more cards of that suit — you’ve got a good chance at drawing to a flush.

When You Should Bet, Raise, or Fold

Your betting strategy as a Texas Holdem beginner should be pretty simple. Bet, raise, or fold. Calling and checking is for suckers. If your hand is strong enough to play, then it’s strong enough to bet or raise with. If it’s not strong enough to play, save your money and fold.

1. Get Hints of Your Opponents Hand by Raising – Raising forces your opponent to make a decision. It puts pressure on them, which could force them to make a mistake. If not, it gives you information on the strength of their hand. Calling or checking to the opponent lets them off the hook, because they don’t have to make a decision — and you get no more information than you had.

2. To Fold or Not to Fold – Folding is an art. The best poker players walk away from a bad bet, which is sometimes the hardest thing to do in Texas Hold’em. Stu Ungar, one of only two players to win the World Series of Poker Main Event three times, told players, “Fold and live to fold again”.

Playing Texas Hold’em for Real Money on Mobile

Mobile poker sites allow card players to bet real money on Texas Hold’em using their smartphone or tablet computer. Mobile card rooms have poker apps for Android and Apple IOS devices, so you’ll be able to play with Android smartphones and tablets, iPhones, and iPads. Some mobile poker rooms also have real money poker apps for Windows Phone, Blackberry, and Symbian. Almost 50% of all Internet poker players now prefer mobile poker to online poker, so most devices are compatible with mobile Texas Hold’em sites now.

Texas Holdem Real Money Apps

Texas Holdem real money apps need to be downloaded on mobile poker sites. You can find and play free mobile Texas Hold’em on other apps on Google Play or the iTunes Apps Store, but real money poker apps are located on mobile poker sites. The mobile software is found on a page with prompts like “Mobile Poker App”, “Android Poker App”, or “Top iPhone and Android Apps”. Many top brands sometimes link from their online poker site to the mobile apps, but others have dedicated mobile poker sites to serve their customers.

Texas Hold’em on Android

The best Android Texas Hold’em sites offer fast, safe, and secure downloads for smartphones. Mobile poker is compatible with 3G, 4G, and LTE. Android poker bonuses are comparable to what you’ll find on online poker sites. The latest Texas Holdem Android casino apps provide support for Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Samsung Galaxy S8, LG G6, LG V30, HT U11, OnePlus 5, and Google Pixel.

Texas Hold’em on iPhone

Apple iPhone and iPad provide great customer support and high levels of security for Texas Hold’em gamblers online. Compatibility is not an issue for Texas Holdem real money iPhone or iPad apps, though Apple desktop computers have had compatibility issues with online poker sites in the past. Mobile Texas Hold’em apps work with iPhone 5, iPhone 6, or iPhone 7. Mobile casino Texas Holdem offer downloads for iPhone 8 and iPhone X now, of course.

Texas Hold’em Real Money FAQ

Below are some frequently asked questions new Texas Hold’em players ask. Anyone with additional poker-related questions should contact us and we’ll be happy to provide the information you need. Let’s start with a basic question.

Can you play Texas Hold’em online for real money?

Yes, real money Texas Hold’em is available online to most people in the world. Hundreds upon hundreds of online poker sites exist. The real question is finding the best Texas Hold’em sites, which offer the most poker tables, the best bonus offers, the quickest and most secure payment options, and the greatest security and safety for the player. Read through our reviews to get the information you need for the best online poker experience.

Why is Texas Hold’em so popular?

Texas Hold’em is a game of skill, where so many casino games are games of chance. Hall of Fame card player Johnny Moss once said, “Hold’em is to stud what chess is to checkers.” The best Texas Hold’em players need to combine math skills, acting skills, and insight into human psychology. Poker players need patience combined with a killer instinct. They need to be competitive, persistent, and calculating. Texas Hold’em requires a player to control their emotions, while a table full of perceptive people reads their every move, facial expression, and statement. Beyond that, Texas Hold’em contains elements of sheer luck, so everyone thinks they have a shot to win.

How to play Texas Holdem at a casino table?

Players have a variety of options for playing Texas Hold’em as a table game. Ultimate Texas Hold’em is a game from Shufflemaster which is available in live and online settings. Casino Hold’em — called Caribbean Hold’em on RTG sites — is a table game with elements of Texas Hold’em. A handful of Las Vegas casino have offered a table game called Texas Hold’em Bonus over the years, but it’s not commonly played there. These games are like Texas Hold’em, but you’ll play against the casino, rather than against other players.

What happens if two players have the same top hand?

They split the pot. If two players hold a straight, the straight with the top card wins. If their straights had the exact same top card, then they would split the pot, though.

Where can I play Texas Holdem in Vegas casinos?

Bellagio and The Venetian each have 37 poker tables at the moment, which ties them for the most poker tables on the Las Vegas Strip. Aria Resort & Casino is next with 24 poker tables. MGM Grand and Caesars Palace each house over a dozen poker tables. Among Off-the-Strip Vegas casinos, the Orleans Casino has 35 poker tables, South Point Casino and Green Valley Ranch Casino each holds 22 tables, and Red Rock Casino has 20 poker tables. Most are Texas Hold’em tables, though you’ll find Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and other poker variants in the bigger Las Vegas poker rooms.

Where can I play Texas Holdem online for real money (USA)?

Starting in August 2017, Bovada Poker accepts real money Texas Hold’em players from the United States and offers a $3000 bonus offer. BetOnline Casino and Slots.lv each offer $1000 welcome bonuses to new Texas Hold’em players. All four offer Sit & Go events, heads-up poker, MTTs, and poker satellite events.

Where can I play Texas Holdem online for real money internationally?

Bodog Poker is one of the oldest gambling sites on the Internet. Bodog offers a $1000 welcome bonus and up to $2 million guaranteed in weekly tournaments, including the $250K Guaranteed poker event each Sunday. 888 Poker is a good option for those who want to test a site before depositing, as it has a $88 no-deposit bonus. 888 Poker offers events like the Mega Series, The Highrollers, and the XL Championships.

The goal for these posts is to explain the essence of what these activities are and how they work. This post is meant to introduce the novice to the game of Texas holdem and also to explain how the game works so well that even an expert might learn something from it.

In Texas holdem, the board (the community cards) consists of 7 face-up card. These aren’t all dealt at once, though—they’re dealt in phases, with betting rounds in between. You get to use any combination of your hole cards with the community cards to create your hand.

This means you can use 2 cards from your hand and 3 cards from the board, 1 card from your hand and 4 cards from the board, or just play 5 cards from the board.

The rest of this post goes into more detail about how to play Texas holdem and how to play it well.

As I discussed in the post about poker, one of the integral aspects of the game is the betting. Without betting, it ain’t poker.

In all poker games, you have forced bets. These are bets players must make to stay in the game. Withou these forced bets, you wouldn’t have any action. Players would just fold until they got a hand they figured was the nuts.

In most other poker games, these forced bets take the form of antes, which are small bets everyone must place before getting a hand.

The players to the left of the dealer place the small blind and the big blind, respectively.

As the dealer position orbits the table, so do the blinds.

Every orbit, you’ll pay the small blind once and the big blind once, and so will all the other players at the table.

For example, if you’re playing in a $4/$8 Texas holdem game, the blinds are usually $2 (for the small blind) and $4 (for the big blind).

The Betting Structure Varies Based on Which Version of Texas Holdem You’re Playing

The order in which you bet doesn’t change based on the version, but the size of your bets does. In limit holdem, you must place bets in increments that are pre-determined.

In the example above, the bets must be made in increments of $4 in the first 2 rounds of the game and in increments of $8 in the final 2 rounds of the game.

But many Texas holdem games are played in pot limit or no limit format. In a pot limit game, the maximum size of your bet is equal to the amount of money in the pot.

In a no limit game, you can bet all the chips in front of you any time it’s your turn to bet.

At least this is true when you look at limit versus pot limit or limit versus no limit. Pot limit and no limit are similar enough that the strategies are often more or less the same.

This becomes more obvious when you start looking at books about poker strategy. A book about limit holdem reads very differently from a book about no limit strategy.

But most of the advice in a no limit Texas holdem game would apply equally to a pot limit game.

In a home version of the game, the person with the deck of cards is the dealer. She gets to deal one hand, then the deal moves to the person on her left. This continues around the table without end.

If you’re playing in a casino, a cardroom employee deals the cards for you. You track the location of the dealer position for purposes of who places the blinds by using a plastic disk called a dealer button. (It even has the word “dealer” printed on it.)

I played in a home game Saturday night where they were using the dealer button as well as the deck of cards to track the dealer position. I thought that was silly, but it also meant I was playing with some less sophisticated players, which is usually good for my bankroll.

A hand of Texas holdem plays out over the following rounds:

• Pre-Flop
• The Flop
• The Turn
• The River

Pre-Flop is the round of betting that takes place after everyone gets their first 2 hole cards. You’re betting on the strength of these cards without the benefit of having seen the flop or any of the community cards.

The Flop is when the dealer flips over the first 3 cards of the community cards. They’re supposed to be flipped over all at the same time, by the way, not one at a time.

The Turn is when the dealer flips over the 4th of the 5 community cards.

The River is when the dealer flips over the 5th (and final) card on the board.

In all Texas holdem games, you have minimum bet sizes during the first 2 rounds and minimum bet sizes during the second 2 rounds. This means you can bet the lower amounts during the pre-flop and flop stages, but you must bet the higher amounts after the turn and the river.

In a limit game where the limits are $4/$8, you’d need to bet $4 minimum during the first 2 rounds and $8 minimum during the next 2 rounds. If you want to make a raise, you would need to raise at least that amount, too.

In a pot limit or no limit game, you still must make the minimum bets for those rounds, but you have the option to bet more. If you want to raise, you must raise at least the size of the previous bet.

For example, if someone bets $20, and you want to raise, you must raise by $20 minimum. It doesn’t matter what the blinds or the minimum bets are at that point.

If you want to play in the hand at all pre-flop, you must at least call the big blind. That means you must post a bet the same size as that big blind. You also have the option of raising or folding.

After the flop, you also have the option of checking, which means you’re not folding, but you’re not betting into the pot, either.

How the Game Plays Out Each Hand

What Texas Holdem Hands To Play

During each phase of the game is a round of betting. If everyone but one player folds, that player wins the pot by default. If more than one player is still involved in the hand at the end of the betting, you have a showdown.

During the showdown, you compare your best possible 5-card hand with your opponents’, and the best 5-card hand wins the money in the pot. In the event of a tie, the amount of money in the pot is split between the players who tied.

All the Texas holdem games I’ve ever played in were played “cards speak.” This means that even if you don’t recognize your best possible poker hand, you still get credit for the best possible hand you can make.

Some players win a lot of money at Texas holdem by betting and raising relentlessly against weaker opponents who are too willing to fold. Other players lost a lot of money by checking and calling consistently when they don’t have strong hands.

I’ll have more to say about that in the next few sections, which are all about Texas holdem strategies.

Most people who’ve been paying attention already know that poker is a game of skill as well as chance. In any extended period of time, the player with more skill will eventually win all the money. That’s because over time, everyone gets the same number of good hands and bad hands.

No one has written a definitive guide to strategy for all kinds of Texas holdem games. It’s not like blackjack; the game hasn’t been “solved.” That’s because, by its nature, Texas holdem is a game of incomplete information.

You don’t know what cards are going to be dealt on the future rounds. You also don’t know what cards your opponents are holding.

There’s only one situation in Texas holdem where the best possible play is a certainty—you should always bet and raise preflop with aces.

But even that is up for debate and nuance. Since pocket aces are the best possible hand in Texas holdem at that point in the game, you should always want to get as much of your money and your opponents’ money in the pot as possible.

But how to do that?

Which would be the perfect situation?

You don’t know what your opponents are going to do.

And that uncertainty gets even greater when you’re dealing with a hand that’s not as good as a pair of aces in the hole.

Which brings me to the next point I want to make about Texas holdem strategy:

The best Texas holdem strategy is to play a limited number of hands before the flop and fold the rest. The idea is that you want to get your money into the pot when you have the best of it, and you want to avoid putting money in the pot when you don’t.

David Sklansky suggests that the Fundamental Theorem of Poker is this:

Every time you act in the same way you would if you knew what your opponents’ hidden cards are, you gain. Every time you act in a different than you would if you knew what your opponent was holding, you lose.

But it also means that you should bet and raise heavily when you have strong cards, and check or fold when you have weak cards.

If you have strong cards, they’re more likely to be better than your opponents’. If you knew that for a certainty, you would, of course, bet and/or raise.

If you have weak cards, they’re more likely to bet worse than your opponents’. If you knew that for a certainty, you would almost always fold.

It’s the hands in the middle that give you the most trouble.

What Is Texas Holdem Poker

You don’t have to memorize a chart or table outlining the strength of the various possible Texas holdem hands. You can, instead, think of these starting hands in terms of their categories.

Big pairs are pocket pairs of 10 or higher. These hands usually play well from any position at the table. (I’ll have more to say about position in the next section, so stick around and read all the way through this post.)

Medium and small pairs are pairs of 9s or lower. These hands play well from middle to late position, and they usually play better with more people in the pot.

That’s because you want a lot of money in the pot on the rare occasion that you hit 3 of a kind on the flop.

Suited connectors are cards that are adjacent to each other in ranking and are also of the same suit. You have the potential to make a flush or a straight with these cards. The higher these cards are in ranking, the better.

Most suited connectors where the higher card is 9 or less are speculative at best, but if you have at least one 10 or better, you have a solid speculative hand.

They don’t have to be immediately adjacent, either, although their value drops the further the 2 cards are from each other in rank. For example, 10-J suited is a better starting hand than 8-10 suited.

Big-little suited is a hand with an ace or a king in it and another lower-ranked card of the same suit. This includes AK and AQ, which are both more-or-less monsters when they’re suited.

It also includes hands as speculative as A-2 or A-3 suited, which are speculative in the extreme—you need to hit 2 pair or a solid flush draw on the flop to continue in the hand unless you’re bluffing.

AK and AQ are playable if they’re not suited, too, but big cards lose a lot of value when they’re not suited. AJ is really speculative and needs to hit you flop and later rounds really hard if you want to continue in the hand and win.

Most other hands aren’t really playable. The rule of thumb is that big pairs can sometimes win pots if you can thin the field with your bets and raises, but the other hands, being more speculative, need to hit the flop before you should continue with the hand.

Earlier I talked about players who lose a lot of money because they call a lot of bets when they shouldn’t. These players are examples of loose, passive players.

A loose player is one who plays in a lot of hands—she doesn’t fold often enough. A tight player is one who folds a lot and only plays strong hands.

A passive player is one who checks and calls a lot. An aggressive player, on the other hand, is one who bets and raises a lot. Aggressive players tend to do better, because they win money when their opponents fold.

They also win bigger pots when they win, because they’re forcing their opponents to put money in the pot.

Players can also be loose and aggressive. Some players in some games succeed well with such an approach. They win so much money from their opponents’ folding in the face of their aggression that they can afford to lose some pots when their hands don’t hit.

Loose, passive players are the best opponents you can hope for. They’ll pay you off repeatedly by putting money into the pot with sub-standard holdings and never put pressure on you to make a hard decision.

Your goal is to be a tight, aggressive player. You won’t play many hands, but when you get cards, you’ll bet and raise with those hands. That’s a winning approach to Texas holdem.

In fact, it’s a winning approach to almost any poker variation.

I left the most important aspect of Texas holdem strategy for last—position.

This refers to when you act during the game. The location of the dealer button and the blinds determines your position.

The first player to the left of the big blind makes the first decision pre-flop. After the flop, the first player to the left of the dealer button makes the first decision.

This is early position.

From early position, you need stronger hands to warrant playing. You have less information about your opponents and what they’re planning to do from early position.

On the other hand, if you’re in late position, you have much more information about how many players are in the pot and what the strength of their hands might be.

You can play more hands from late position, because you’ll also get to see what you opponents are going to do when they see the flop and later phases of the hand.

Conclusion

Texas holdem poker is the most popular version of poker played in the United States. If you’ve never played, it can be confusing at first.

You should try some of the free online versions of Texas holdem before playing for any kind of meaningful stakes.

What did you learn about the essence of Texas holdem that you didn’t already know from this post?