The Best Poker Sites for Texas Hold em
The Best Poker Sites for Texas Hold'em
Texas Hold'em is the most popular poker variation in the world and it can be found at every poker site out there. If you re looking for the best Texas Hold'em poker sites, this page is just for you. The following online poker sites are considered by poker players to be the best places to play Texas Hold'em poker.
These Texas Hold'em poker rooms are ranked according to their overall quality of games, traffic levels, and variety of stakes, specifically for Texas Hold'em players. There s always room for a little debate but these poker sites are generally recognized as the top Texas Hold'em poker sites. Feel free to visit any or all of these sites to help you choose the poker site that best fits your needs.
Poker Sites Offering Real Money Hold'em Cash Games
| Rank | Poker Site | Country | Sign Up Bonus | Bonus Code | Play Now! |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 888 Poker | €22 Free + up to €400 | T & C's apply | www.888.com | |
| 2 | Intertops Poker | 110% up to €600 | n/a - use links | www.Intertops.com | |
| 3 | Party Poker | 100% to €250 | 500BPS | www.PartyPoker.com | |
| 4 | PokerStars | 100% to €400 + €20 Free | MIK500 | www.PokerStars.com | |
| 5 | Bet365 | See Bet365 for Details | use links | www.Bet365.com |
What Makes a Great Texas Hold'em Poker Site?
We must admit, it was kind of tough to pick only three Texas Hold'em sites for this page. There are literally hundreds of online poker sites out there, and every single one of them offers Texas Hold'em games in one form or another. With that in mind, here are the criteria we used for picking the best poker sites for Hold'em games:
- Significant Player Traffic. This is the most important aspect - you need players to play against. All of the sites on this page have enough players online around the clock to spread at least mid-stakes cash games and SNGs up to the $50 level. During peak hours you can play high stakes Hold'em games at any of the sites on this list.
- Easy to Beat Competition. The Hold'em sites on this list are (other than Full Tilt) some of the weakest poker sites online. This means that you will have an easier time making money than if you were playing at a site like PokerStars which has much stiffer competition. In fact, by switching from PokerStars to Ultimate Bet you could reasonably expect to increase your ROI without changing anything about your strategy.
- Cash Games, MTTs, and SNGs. This is another important aspect - you should be able to play Hold'em cash games, tournaments, and sit and gos at the top Texas Hold'em sites. All of the sites on this list offer all three.
Any of the poker sites on this page are a great choice for Texas Hold'em players. If you wish to play Texas Hold'em online but don't know how to play the game yet, read on for the full rules of Texas Hold'em.
How to Play Texas Hold'em
Texas Hold'em is played as a community card game. In other words, some of the cards are dealt on the table and are shared by all the players in the game. In Texas Hold'em, each player receives two hole cards and may combine those cards with any of the five community cards to form the best possible five card poker hand. The player with the best hand wins the pot.
The Blinds
The blind are mandatory bets that are paid by two players at the beginning of each hand. The player to the left of the dealer must pay the small blind, which is equal to half of one minimum bet. The player to the left of that person must pay the big blind, which is equal to one full minimum bet.
Many Texas Hold'em games use a full time dealer so that the players don t have to pass the deck around table. In these games, a small disc is used to represent the position of the dealer each hand. That disc is called the dealer s button.
The Deal
After the blinds are paid, the dealer deals two cards face down to each player. These cards are dealt one at a time, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer.
Preflop Betting Round
This betting round begins with the player to the left of the blinds. The players now take turns calling, folding and raising until each player has either matched the current bet or folded.
The Flop
The dealer now places three cards face up in the middle of the table. These cards are shared by all the players at the table. Another round of betting begins but this time the first player to the left of the dealer begins the betting round. The players may check, bet, raise and fold.
The Turn
One card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This is the fourth community card. The players now have a betting round that begins with the first player to the left of the dealer.
The River
One more card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This card is the fifth and last community card. One more round of betting takes place, beginning with the first player to the left of the dealer.
After this betting round, the remaining players may now reveal their hands. The player with the best five card poker hand, using any combination of his hole cards and the community cards, wins the pot.
Play Texas Hold'em Poker Online
Play fast-paced, high drama Texas Hold'em for real money at the best poker sites online. We know real money Hold'em is exciting and rewarding, so we've reviewed the best online poker rooms, sourced the top bonuses and looked into every game type so you don't have to.
Our Top Rated Texas Hold'em Sites
- Top rated poker
- High RTP percentage
- Generous welcome bonus
- High-quality graphics in games
- No live chat support
888 Poker review
If you’re looking for a big name poker site that’s safe, secure and constantly entertaining then 888 Poker is going to put a smile on your face. You’ll get a handy 200% bonus when you sign up, soft competitors to play against and a whole range of different ways to play poker wherever you are.
- Good variety of promotions
- Numerous tournaments daily
- Unique features including all-in insurance
- High rake
- Not suitable for pro players
- Wide array of banking options
- Can play on a mobile app
- Hosts lucrative tournaments
- Email-only customer service
- Limited bonuses and promotions for players
- High rake
Pokerstars review
PokerStars is home to a huge selection of games and players will be able to find a fun and safe place here, with people from all over the world. It hosts things like the Sunday Million as well as qualifiers for events like the European Poker Tour and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. PokerStars also holds the world records for hosting the "biggest ever online poker tournament" and "the highest number of people playing at once".
- Fast payouts
- Large jackpots
- Wide game selection
- Low welcome bonus
- High wagering requirements
- Phone support tolled for some international players
- Unusual promotions and bonuses
- Caters to new and experienced poker players
- Wide variety of tournaments
- Slow withdrawal speeds
Party Poker review
Party Casino hosts 160+ games yet is considered small at least when placed side by side to the giant casinos boasting 500 games and more. However being a part of the Party Gaming network supports the notion that it has a powerful network behind it. If blackjack is your game, then you are in luck because there are several varieties to choose from. While not as many as the sites with 400+ games, there is still a vast selection. As for roulette, the more favorable European wheel with the single zero, is available, as well as the American (with single and double zero).
T&Cs Apply to All Bonuses. 18+ Only. Gamble Responsibly.
How We Rate Casinos, Poker Sites & Sportsbooks
reputation
safety & security
banking & payments
bonuses & promotions
customer support
compatibility
online experience
Real Money Texas Hold'em
Playing Texas Hold'em for real money, as opposed to practice play, provides many advantages for online players. Not only can you turn a winning hand into money which you can withdraw, but you can also pit yourselves against other players in lucrative and competitive events.
In 2019, online poker industry leaders reported more than $1 billion in revenue from the previous year, which has continued to rise since. There are more than 100 million online poker players out there, with the majority enjoying real money Texas Hold'em.
Although playing Texas Hold'em for free is an excellent way to get to grips with the game, the differences between this and playing for real money can't be understated. The way you and your opponents play will be vastly different, while you will be opened up to a world of bonuses, tournaments and more.
Bonuses Promotions
All the top poker sites offer generous welcome bonuses and ongoing promotions to attract new players or keep existing ones. Be sure to take a look at our real money poker page for some of the best poker specific welcome bonuses available in 2021.
Certain types of bonus, like an offer of free spins usually associated with online casinos, aren't relevant when it comes to online poker. The bonuses you'll encounter in poker rooms will typically fall into one of the following categories:
As the name suggests, this type of bonus grants players a small sum of money to use at the tables without the need to make a deposit of their own. Don't confuse these with freerolls, which are tournaments with cash prizes that players can enter for free.
This is the first bonus you'll receive at any poker site and will get you started with some bonus cash to play with. Use it wisely and you can learn risk free while playing for real money online.
The percentage figure associated with a match bonus dictates the amount of bonus cash a player will receive and can be above 100%. For example, players making a deposit of $50 with an active match bonus of 200% will receive $100 of bonus cash.
All bonuses have wagering requirements associated with them, which outline the number of times bonus cash must be wagered before it can be withdrawn as real money. For example, if you have $100 of bonus cash with wagering requirements of 30x the value of the bonus, you'll need to place bets worth $3,000 before you can cash out your bonus funds.
How to Play Texas Hold'em Online?
Learning how to play Texas Hold'em at an online casino is pretty simple, whether you're joining a real money poker room or playing with friends. Let's take a quick look at what the process typically looks like:
Sign up for an account with one of our recommended gambling venues (and claim your welcome bonus when doing so)
Make your first deposit, making a note of how much bonus cash you accrue
Find a table with blinds and limits, or minimum and maximum bets in the case of Casino Hold'em, that suit your bankroll
When your turn comes around, examine the potential of your hand and decide whether you want to stay in the round or fold
Repeat the fourth step until you decide it's time to call it quits
Best Texas Hold'em Poker Sites
There are countless online poker rooms available, with the majority offering Texas Hold'em as their primary game type. While your experience will vary, the most reputable sites will always meet a certain standard.
The poker sites we recommend will always meet a high criteria so you can play with confidence. We're thoroughly checking a range of features, but you should also look out for the following things, especially when playing with real money.
A large selection of payment methods suggests a site wants to make depositing and cashing out as simple as possible for its users. It also improves the credibility of a site, since forging partnerships with different banking methods requires verification. Lastly, the use of cutting-edge payment options like Bitcoin is a sign of a site which embraces new technology.
As we'll see below, there are several different variations of Texas Hold'em available. It's good to know, when you're playing with an online poker site, that these are all within your reach. Players should also look for a large range of stakes/buy-ins and tournaments to ensure that, as they and their bankrolls grow, a site will still be able to accommodate them.
Different poker software providers all have a slightly different take on the game, with small differences to things like table graphics and the time players have to make their move. It's very likely that you'll naturally gravitate towards one or more software providers, which might help you narrow down new sites you want to try.
Beyond reasons relating to security, like preventing identity theft or fraud, there's no good reason why a poker site should keep delaying you from cashing out. Poker rooms which boast quick payout speeds and an easy withdrawal process will win the trust of online players.
Poker sites which have an industry leading app or fantastic mobile site will be extremely popular. Mobile poker is becoming more and more prevalent online, so this will not only meet the demands of many players but shows a dedication to keep up with modern trends in online gambling.
Best Texas Hold'em Poker Sites
Texas Holdem: With simple rules, a quick learning curve and, these days, a chance to be rich and famous, it s no wonder Texas Holdem has surged past Seven-Card Stud as the game of choice for the average poker player.
Best Texas Hold'em Poker Sites
To get started, players need little more than a basic understanding of Texas Hold em rules, which starting hands to play and some simple strategy tips. From there, it s a short hop to a lifelong relationship with one of the most challenging and exciting card games in the world. Check out our editors' picks for the top Texas Holdem online poker rooms below or scroll down below the toplist for more about the game of Texas Hold'em.
Texas Hold'em Poker Sites
A TL;DR History of Texas Hold em
The birth of Texas Hold em is officially credited to Robstown, Texas and dates back to the early 1900s. With four betting rounds and the majority of the cards face up on the table, Hold'em was much more player friendly than the other poker variations popular at that time. Since the community cards remove the need to "count cards," the game's also more beginner-friendly.
Legendary Texas road gamblers included Crandell Addington, Roscoe Weiser, Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim. They introduced Hold em to Vegas in 1967 - with the first World Series of Poker held in 1970. Yet poker remained a backroom game - until Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 WSOP Main Event. Turning his $40 online satellite buy-in into $2.5 million on national TV. Thanks to Moneymaker and online poker, Texas Hold em blew up and is now the most widely played variant worldwide.
Play Texas Hold'em
The basic rules of Texas Hold em are simple. A standard hand in Texas Hold em goes like this:
- The dealer shuffles the deck.
- The two players to the left of the dealer (or the player with the dealer button) pay the mandatory bets called "blinds" - one small blind and one big blind.
- Starting at the player on his left the dealer deals every player two cards face down.
- Starting at the player to the left of the big blind, the players begin the first betting round.
- The first player has the option to call, raise or fold.
- Once the betting round is over, the dealer deals one card face down (the burn card), and three face up (the flop).
- The second betting round starts at the player to the left of the dealer.
- Once the betting round completes, the dealer deals one card face down, and one card face up (the turn).
- The third betting round functions the same as the second betting round.
- Once the betting round completes, the dealer deals one final card face down, and the final card face up (the river)
- The final betting round functions the same as the previous two betting rounds.
- All players still in the hand enter the showdown, where the player holding the best hand at this point wins the pot.
- The dealer passes the deck (or the dealer button) to the player on his left, and the next hand begins.
For more information head to our Poker Rules section.
Texas Hold em Hand Rankings
Texas Hold em Basic Terms
- Blinds: Short for "blind bets," these are the forced bets made before the cards are dealt. In Hold'em, blinds take the place of the classic "ante."
- Burn Card: The card dealt facedown before any community card is dealt.
- Button: Nickname for the player acting as the dealer in current hand, or the name for the physical dealer button used to denote the current dealer.
- Check: Similar to a call, but no money is bet. If there is no bet or raise, the next player to act may check.
- Fifth Street: See River.
- Flop: The first three community cards dealt.
- Fourth Street: See Turn.
- Preflop: Anything that occurs before the flop is dealt is preflop.
- River: The final (5th) community card dealt; also known as fifth street.
- Showdown: When players reveal their hands to discover the pot's winner.
- Turn: The fourth community card dealt; also known as fourth street.
Texas Hold em Starting Hands
Texas Hold'em has enough strategic concepts, theories and equations to literally fill hundreds of books. Needless to say, you can spend as much time as you would like reading and discussing poker strategy without ever repeating the same topic twice.
When it comes to learning the game, it's best to start at the beginning. And making money in No-Limit Texas Hold'em starts with the hands you choose to play and when you choose to play them.
Making money starts with the hands you choose to play.
Even a "top 10 hand" can be the wrong hand to play depending on the situation you're in.
One of the first things you learn on the road to being a winning player is to play tight - that is, to only play strong hands, folding the rest. The stronger your starting hand, typically the easier it will be to play the hand without error.
Playing tight is absolutely fundamental when learning to play winning poker.
Unlike on the flop and turn, which you might only find yourself playing once or twice an orbit, you're making pre-flop decisions every single hand you play. If you play too loose pre-flop, you're costing yourself money every time you play a hand you shouldn't.
To learn more about what hands you should be playing, and how to play them, head to our How Not to Suck at Poker strategy series found in our beginner strategy section.
- Learn Texas Holdem with Free Poker Online!
- View All Our Poker Sites
How to Determine the Winning Hand
In Texas Hold'em you must make the best hand possible using any combination of your two cards and the five community cards on the table.
You can use both, one or none of your own cards in making your best hand.
More information and examples on How to Determine the Winning Hand.
Texas Hold em Basic Strategy Tips: Five Common Beginner Mistakes
1) Playing too many hands before the flop
This is the biggest of them all. New players play far too many hands pre-flop. Play only the strongest starting hands
2) Taking hands too far past the flop
This is an extension of the previous trap. Not only do most beginners play too many hands; they go too far with them. You need to evaluate the true strength of your own hand, against the likely strength of your opponents. Only if you can realistically believe you have the advantage should you continue with the hand.
You need to understand you'll only be playing a very small fraction of the hands you're dealt,and you'll only see a river with a very small fraction of those.
3) Playing by feeling rather than by cards, situations and numbers
Emotion will come back to haunt you.
Many new players play hands because they have a "feeling" about them. This is wrong. Poker is a mathematical game: everything that can possibly happen boils down to odds. You play a hand because the situation dictates that in the long term, by playing that hand, you're going to make money.
To understand this concept, you need to have a basic understanding of Hold'em Odds. For more advice on this, head to our Poker Odds strategy section.
4) Letting your emotions get the better of you
Poker can be a stressful game. If you lose a couple of hands and start to let your emotions get the better of you, you're going to start making poor decisions. Every time you act based on emotion, rather than rational thought, you're making a mistake.
If you're overwhelmed with any form of emotion, take a short walk, returning to the table once you're back to a neutral, relaxed state. For more advice on this, head to our Poker Psychology strategy section.
5) Thinking short term
A lot of players will make a correct play, lose the pot and second-guess themselves. They'll say, "Oh - I should have folded pocket aces because he ended up making a straight." This is wrong. If you get your money in good, it's the correct play, whether you win or lose.
Your ability in poker is based on the decisions you make, not the end result of. Poker is a long-term game. You can make all the correct decisions and still lose; this is the influence of luck.
Best Texas Holdem Sites
Texas Hold em is the single most popular poker game in the world. Although it wasn t until the 2000s that No-Limit Texas Hold em really took off, it s a game that dates all the way back to the early 1900s.
Texas Hold em differs from many of the other poker games like Seven-Card Stud and Five-Card Draw because it features community cards, which help mitigate the need to count cards.
You also draw only two cards as your starting "hole cards," making the game even more accessible to new poker players. Poker legend Doyle Brunson once referred to No-Limit Hold em as the Cadillac of poker and it s easy to see why.
The game is simple to learn and offers a unique combination of skill and luck, making for endlessly exciting game scenarios and lots of action.
How is Texas Hold'em Played?
Texas Hold em is a community-card poker game that typically takes place over one table with 2-10 players. Every player is dealt two cards face down, which can then be combined with the following five cards dealt out on the board to create the best five-card poker hand.
Players do not have to have the best hand to win, however, as they can also win by bluffing their opponent out of a hand with a bet.
For one full hand of Texas Hold'em there can be up to four separate betting rounds - after the deal, after the flop (the first three cards are dealt to the board and called the "Flop"), after the "turn" card is dealt (fourth street) and after the "river" card (fifth street) is dealt.
Players have the option of checking, calling, betting, raising or folding in every round, depending on the action in front of them and the order of player around the table.
Texas Hold em is also very much a "position-based" game, which means there is an order of play, a strategy to how you should play in each position in relation to the dealer and and two forced bets to start the action off every round.
These are called the "small blind" and the "big blind" (typically twice the small blind), and must be put into the pot before the hand. These positions rotate around the table, so you will need to put in one small blind and one big blind over the course of a full orbit of hands around the table.
Try our Beginner's Guide to Getting Started in Texas Hold'em to if you need some help to get going..
Why is Texas Hold em So Popular?
Start playing online poker at the best poker sites and you ll quickly find that 80% or more of all of the action at the tables is in No-Limit Texas Hold em.
There are a lot of reasons why, but first among them is likely the ease of learning how to play and the massive amount of television exposure Texas Hold'em has got in the the last 6-8 years.
Texas Hold'em also works especially well online as it s generally faster than most of the draw games and it s easier to play with several tables open at once.
Perhaps the best element, though, is that new players are always getting into the game because it s so simple to learn, which means competition is significantly less difficult than some of the other more specialized games.
These days Pot-Limit Omaha the four-card version of Hold em is starting to gain momentum but it s doubtful it will ever be nearly as popular as Hold em.
What Beats What in Texas Hold'em?
See the complete hand rankings in our Poker Hand Evaluation page.
How to Make Your Texas Hold'em Hand
The rules of making your best hand in Texas Holdem are simple:
You always have to you use exactly five cards (out of seven that are dealt - two just to you and five in the middle for everyone) but you can use any combination of cards from your hand or the board cards.
If the best five-card hand (go back to the poker hand rankings if you're unsure) you can make is with all five cards on the board, that's your final hand.
You can also use just one hole card from your hand and four from the board, or two from your hand and three from the board.
Basic No-Limit Hold em Terms
Button: Nickname for the player acting as the dealer in current hand, or the name for the physical dealer button used to denote the current dealer.
Blinds: Short for "blind bets," these are the forced bets made before the cards are dealt. In Hold'em, blinds take the place of the classic ante that s found in Seven-Card Stud.
Burn Card: The card dealt facedown before any community card is dealt.
Check: Similar to a call, but no money is bet. If there is no bet or raise, the next player to act may check.
Fish or Donkey: A generally bad player
Fifth Street: See River.
Flop: The first three community cards dealt.
Fourth Street: See Turn.
Pre-flop: Anything that occurs before the flop is dealt is pre-flop.
River: The final (5th) community card dealt; also known as fifth street.
Showdown: When players reveal their hands to discover the pot's winner.
Turn: The fourth community card dealt; also known as fourth street.
5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Texas Holdem Game
Most people who play Texas Hold'em want to get better at it. Even those who play Texas Holdem online purely for recreation usually have more fun if they are winning. Becoming a Texas hold em master will take some hard work and innate talent, but there are a few things you can do right away to start getting better:
1. Stop Playing So Many Hands
When newbie poker players start playing Texas holdem poker on the web, their most common mistake is playing too many starting hands. In other words they "limp in" (putting in the same amount as the big blind) or they call too many bets before the flop with hands that are too weak.
This is a common symptom in live poker too, but the impatience that characterizes web visitors in general probably affects web based poker players as well. As a consequence, when you play online poker on the web, it s even more important than usual to make a list of starting hands that you are allowed to play.
For example, make a copy of a simple Texas Holdem starting-hand strategy and keep it beside the computer when you play your first few hundred hands or so. As a general rule, if you start out with the best hand, you are more likely to end up with the best hand.
If you play any two cards with the hopes of flopping something good, you will often make the second-best hand at best or nothing at all. This will result in you paying off your opponents far too much. This is true in all poker variations but especially in Texas hold em games.
Even if you don't make any hands, your chips will bleed away since you will pay for a lot of missed flops and not win enough when you finally hit. At the best online Texas holdem sites there are always people waiting for fish to swim in and play any two cards. You want to be one of the sharks waiting and not the fish.
2. Try Second Level Thinking
Don t consider your hand in a vacuum. Sure you have a flush, but there s a high pair on the board and one of your opponents is betting strongly. You have to consider that he may have a full house.
Alternatively, if a player raised before the flop and the flop comes with three low cards, you have to consider the possibility that he was betting high cards and missed, even if your hand is not that strong.
Many new Texas hold em players focus too much on what they have and not what they have in relation to their opponents. If you often think I have a [insert hand] so I have to call, and then lose, you might want to start analyzing your opponents possible holdings a little more.
3. Try Third Level Thinking
In online Texas Hold'em poker, once you re thinking about what your opponent has, try thinking about what your opponent may think you have. This seems a little tricky, but just try to put yourself in your opponent s shoes and try to imagine what you might conclude about the hand if you were in his seat.
In doing so, you will be able to make good value bets that your opponents might pay off and get rid of hands that look strong but are beat.
4. Find Your Comfort Level
To play your best Texas Holdem online, you should be playing at stakes that are not so high that you are afraid to make the moves you need to make, but not so low that you play carelessly.
If you re not sure, err on the side of playing lower stakes. You can always move up if you re convinced that you are not being challenged at your current level. Before you decide where to play, compare different poker site reviews to make sure that you find a poker site offering action at your preferred limit.
5. Analyze Your Play
This is easier to do in online poker with downloaded hand histories, but you can do it in live play too. Go over your hands and think about what you did right and what you did wrong, and how that affected your results.
If you pinpoint a real error, try to correct it mentally before your next session. All top texas holdem sites allow you to view all your played hands, and most of them give you statistics on your play how often you fold, call and bet etc.
Use this information to your advantage. It can drastically improve your game, and improve your chances of building a bankroll from your first poker deposit.
Related Articles
- How Do I Find the Best Texas Hold'em Site?
- Playing "Tight-Aggressive" Texas Hold'em
- Controlling the Pot In Texas Holdem
Texas Holdem Poker
Texas Holdem is a poker success story without comparison. From being a fairly small game only played by old-school Texas gamblers, it s now played by millions of people online and offline all around the world.
In our toplist to the left we rate online poker sites based on the Texas Hold em games they offer. Poker Junkie s editors and visitors have rated the big Texas Holdem poker sites and guide you to the best ones in this category.
-
Play open face chinese poker online
Play Online Chinese Poker Play Chinese Poker online against three AI players, analyse your play and find better strategies. This Chinese Poker App works...
-
Spades Card Game Online Enjoy the Spades card game and test your skills. Compete head-to-head against other players or in special tournaments for real...
-
Real money poker apps Our big data neuro-network super cookie thing may store information about your personal data including location, age, gender,...
-
How To Set Up Private Online Poker Games With Friends Playing poker has never been more accessible than over the last couple of years. If the last year...
-
Poker strategy omaha hi lo Omaha Hi Lo (also known as Omaha 8 or Omaha Eight or Better) is a split pot version of the popular Omaha poker game. In this...