All about playing texasholdem poker online! A full guide to the rules of poker, hints and winning strategies.

Learn how to play texasholdem online. Your first step is to get a good command of Texasholdem rules.

Texasholdem rules - how to play

Below is a condensed guide to playing Texasholdem online. The rules of Texasholdem are simple. That's a part of the game's popularity - everyone can pick it it fairly easily. Playing Texasholdem well though is no walk in the park. Hidden beneath that simplicity is a complexity that can take years to master. You won't get bored with Texasholdem!

Texasholdem base

Texasholdem is a poker game where the standard rank of poker hands applies. If you're not sure what the rank of hands are then click here for the rank of poker hands . Texasholdem is played with a 52 card deck between usually 9 or 10 players per table.

Types of betting limits

There are 3 variations of betting limits that may look like 3 different types of games - that's not the case. The only difference between these games is the amount you can bet at each stage. The 3 betting limit types are: Limit Texasholdem , Pot Limit Texasholdem and No limit Texasholdem .

In Limit Texasholdem there is a specific limit in dollars to how much needs to be bet at each betting round - this is the "tightest" form of betting limit. Pot limit means that bets or raises are restricted to the total sum of money in the pot at that moment. The pot includes all bets made by others earlier in that round. Pot Limit Texasholdem is has the potential for larger betting amounts than limit. Finally, there's No Limit Texasholdem where each player can bet any amount of money he has in front of him/her. Regardless of which limit you're playing a Texasholdem goes as follows.

Determining the dealer and placing the "blinds"

Before a Texasholdem round starts 2 players are required to make a bet in advance to stimulate action. These bets are called blinds - there is a small blind and a big blind. Each Texasholdem player takes it in turns to place their blinds in clockwise order around the table. Likewise the the dealer button or position passes around the table in the same fashion. The dealer position is important because it's the 2 players after the dealer (going clockwise) that place the blinds. The first player after the dealer places the small blind - which is equal to half of the lower stake and the player to the right of the dealer places the full blind which equals the full amount of the lower stake limit. The dealer position is also important because the dealer bets last - an important advantage.

The preflop - Betting round 1

Beginning with the dealer each player is dealt 2 cards (one at a time). These are known as the hole cards. This is followed by a round of betting. At this stage with only 2 cards to judge your chances by, most players will make a bet in order to reach the second round where 3 more cards are revealed.

The Flop - Round 2 and time to decide whether your in or out.

Next 3 communal cards, called the "flop", are dealt face up in the center of the table. In Texasholdem your hand is comprised from a combination of the 2 private cards you hold and the communal cards in the center. At this stage you really need to decide whether you have, or think you can make a hand. If the Flop doesn't fit your hand you'll usually want to FOLD at this stage.

The Turn - Round 3 of betting

After the Flop the fourth community card is dealt - often called the turn or fourth street - and another round of betting commences.

The River - Round 4 of betting

The fifth community card is dealt - known as fifth street or the river - and the remaining players bet for the last time.

The Showdown - Determining the winner

Players reveal their cards beginning with the player who bet first. The player with the best 5 card combination takes the pot. Note: The winner takes the pot minus the rake that the poker room takes. This rake is usually under 10% and depends on the poker room you are playing at and the betting limit of the game.

The dealer buttons then moves on to next player and another hand commences.

That's basically how a Texasholdem game is played. As you see the rules are pretty easy, the trick is in playing well. There are more specific rules that tend to vary between the online room you're playing at and the limit type. We recommend that you visit their sites for those details. One very good way to get started is to play at an online poker room on the play for fun tables. The betting there tends to be a bit wild but you can get good practice before laying real cash on the table.

To chose from highly rated poker rooms visit our play texasholdem page.