Texas Hold'Em Poker Strategy

Texas Hold'Em Poker is the most popular Poker variation and can be learned within a few minutes making it ideal for beginners.  It is however a difficult game to master and in order to become a good player you must practice often.  All of our recommended Texas Hold'Em Poker Rooms offer tables where you can play for free until you are ready to compete for real money. 

The game of Texas Hold'Em Poker progresses as follows:

1. Two players to left of dealer place a predetermined amount of money (blinds) to get the betting started and each player is dealt two cards face down.

2. The first round of betting follows and each player decides whether to call, raise or fold. 

3. Once complete, the dealer deals three cards face up on table (called the flop) which players can use together with their two cards.

4. Then there is a further round of betting followed by the dealer dealing a further card face up (called the turn) for use by the remaining players.

5. The players then compete in a further round of betting which is followed by the dealer dealing the final card face up (called the river). 

6. Next is one final round of betting.

7. The winner is the player who has made the best possible 5-Card Poker hand using the two cards he has been dealt together with the five community cards. 

The following is a list of possible hands from best to worst.  Any hand on the list beats any below it and loses to any above it. 

Royal Flush: An ace to a ten of the same suit. e.g. A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠.

Straight Flush:Cards run in sequence and are the same suit.e.g. J♥ 10♥ 9♥ 8♥ 7♥.

Four of a Kind: A hand including 4 cards of the same value. e.g. A♠ A♣ A♥ A♦ 6♠.

Full House: 3 cards of one value and 2 cards of another e.g. K♠ K♥ K♦ 7♥ 7♦.

Flush: Cards in the hand are all the same suit e.g. A♦ J♦ 5♦ 3♦ 2♦.

Three of a Kind:A hand including 3 cards of the same value.e.g. 2♠ 2♣ 2♦ Q♠ 8♣.

Two Pair: Two pairs of cards with the same value e.g. 9♣ 9♥ J♦ 7♠ 7♥.

One Pair: Hand contains a pair of the same valued card. e.g. K♠ K♦ 10♣ 7♣ 3♥.

High Card: If none of above, highest card wins e.g. 2♣ 6♠ 7♥ 9♥ Q♠ would be Queen High.

Playable Starting Cards 

The following are the best starting hands out of the 169 possible.  You should fold if you do not have any of the starting hands in the below list.

A = Ace, K = King, Q= Queen, J = Jack and 10 - 2 = numerical card value and m = matching suit.

Any pair - they provide you with the possibility of high pair, two pair, three of a kind, full house  and four of a kind.   Naturally the higher the pair you start with the better off you are

Any high card accompanied by another of their matching suit - These starting hands have the potential of achieving a high pair, three of a kind, flush,  a  straight  or  a  straight  flush.

Knowing when to fold and when to bluff takes experience which can only be gained by playing regularly.  Our recommended Poker Rooms all have free tables where you can practice until you are ready to compete for real money. 

The following are essential tips & tactics which you should consider when deciding whether or not to fold and bluff.  Our Texas Hold'Em Poker Strategy E-Book gives all of the information you could need to master this in no time at all and can be downloaded for free here.

1. If your two hole cards are a low pair, play cautiously - If the game progresses and you don't have three of a kind or two pairs it is normally best to fold.

2. After the flop you will have five cards to work with.  At this time it is best to consider the odds and decide whether to stay in the game or quit and minimise your losses.

3. If you have a strong hand play aggressively in the early stages which should make players with weaker hands quit and thus prevent them from getting lucky later on.

4. Watch out for flops that contain cards in consecutive sequence such as 3-4-5, because even if you have two pair or three of a kind there is a high probability that another player will make a straight and therefore beat you.

5. Don't try and bluff too often as a good player will catch on and take all of your chips.

6. When playing at the free tables, play as if the money is yours so that you develop good habits rather than bad. 

Although by following the above strategies, you will give yourself a great opportunity to become a successful Poker player, it unfortunately won't happen overnight.  You will need to practice hard so that you can progress as a player and win more pots. 

 *The following Poker Rooms all have free tables where you can practice our Texas Hold'Em Poker Strategy for as long as you wish without risking any money.  Once ready, you can play for real using the bonus money given to you and start winning big.  Good luck!

Click Here for $200 Sign-up Bonus

Poker Rewards - Click Here 50% Match bonus up to $200 on your first deposit 10% of rake returned to you each time you play All payment methods accepted - Firepay, NeTeller, ACH, Credit Card, Pre Paid ATM etc. Part of the huge Prima Poker Network - round the clock action guaranteed. All game variations available - No-Limit, Pot-Limit & Fixed-Limit Regular tournaments - win seats to big money television tournaments

Click Here for $100 Sign-up Bonus

Pacific Poker - Click Here 25% match bonus up to $100 on your first deposit Earn comp points whilst playing which can be exchanged for cash Banking Via Firepay, NeTeller, ACH, Credit Card, Citadel. Notoriously weak level of competition   Impressive game selection - range of Fixed, Pot & No-Limit stake values Frequent, cheap & soft tournaments.  Guaranteed $50000 tournament every week Play Texas Hold'Em Poker

Click Here for $50 Sign-up Bonus

Party Poker - Click Here $50 free first deposit bonus World's largest online Texas Hold'Em Poker Room Banking Via Firepay, NeTeller, ACH, Credit Card, Citadel. First class 24/7 customer support Every game variation catered - Fixed, No-Limit & Pot-Limit with huge range of stakes. High traffic volumes ensure round the clock action Home to the Party Steps tournament - win seats to the World Series of Poker