While a poker home game is a great way to be introduced to the rules of Texas Hold'em, the best way to improve your Texas Hold'em skills is to play in free Texas Holdem games online. Virtually every poker site offers free-to-play, 'play money' poker games where you can try out the games and get used to the software before investing any money. Texas Holdem; This is the most popular poker online game in the world of live casino Singapore. Texas Holdem Poker betting takes place in four rounds which include Preflop, Flop, Turn and The River. Poker online players need to combine these poker cards with their two-hole cards to make their best five-card poker hand. In Texas Holden gameplay rules are simple, you and every other player deal two cards face down. As a first-round kick-off, one player is designated the dealer. This position will rotate clockwise every hand, and the two players to the left of the designated dealer must put in 2 bets. The big blind and the small blind.

Introduced to the poker world at large in the late 1960s by Doyle Brunson and the famed Texas road gamblers, Texas Hold'em has literally re-shaped poker as we knew it and helped create a poker boom still reverberating around the globe today.

Why has Texas Holdem become the de facto poker game of choice for millions of poker players? And why is it still the benchmark for poker glory at the World Series of Poker?

That's easy. It's incredibly fun. And packed with multi-level strategy that draws on equal parts brains, nerves and complex psychology. It's also, importantly, not very hard to learn!

As the old saying goes, 'Texas Hold'em: it takes 2 minutes to learn and a lifetime to master.' We can help you with the 'master' part over in our poker strategy section; here we'll stick to the 2-minute part and introduce you to the official Texas Hold'em rules below.

How to Play Texas Hold'em

Texas Holdem is a community card game in which each player at the table is dealt two 'hole' cards face down. Each player then uses those two hole cards in combination with five communal board cards to make the best possible five-card poker hand.

You can win a Texas Hold'em hand by:

• Having everyone else fold before the hand is over
• Having the best 5-card poker hand at showdown

And that's essentially it. Texas Hold'em can be played in either cash game or tournament format (with dozens of variations) and with stakes from as small as 1c/2c all the way up to $500/$1,000 and above.

Tournaments offers buy ins from entirely free up to $1 million (eg. The Big One for One Drop at the World Series of Poker). Most poker tournaments online run with buy-ins of $1-30 with 10-15% of the tournament field making the money and getting paid a return on their buy-in.

Texas Hold'em rules can be broken up into a few essential categories:

• Texas Hold'em Rules - The Button & the Blinds
• Texas Hold'em Rules - The Deal
• Texas Hold'em Rules - The First Betting Round
• Texas Hold'em Rules - The Flop, Turn & River
• Texas Hold'em Rules - The Showdown
• Texas Hold'em Rules - Tournaments

Texas Holdem Rules - The Button & the Blinds

A Texas Hold'em cash game is played at a single poker table with anywhere from 2-10 players. In a poker home game, the role of dealer usually passes from player to player with each hand, rotating to the left.

If the game is played online or in a live casino, a designated dealer will deal all of the cards for every round.

Where the deal starts is important, however, as the position of the players in relation to the dealer determines when they act in the hand. The player with the dealer button is the player who gets to act last in every hand. That gives them very important information as to the other players' holdings.

While the dealer spot is fixed in a live game, a dealer 'button' is used to represent the dealer spot and is passed to the left with every hand.

The blinds, meanwhile, are two 'forced' bets that are put into the pot before every hand. These are usually in simple increments like 1c/2c or $1/$2. The 'small blind' is the player immediately to the left of the dealer and puts in the smaller bet before each hand starts.

The 'big blind' is the player to the left of the dealer and puts in the bigger bet before each hand starts. This ensures each pot has some money in it for every hand.

As the dealer button moves on to the next player after every hand, so too do the blinds. That means once every orbit around the table each player will at least put in one small blind and one big blind into play.

In some Texas Holdem games (and in the later rounds of tournament play) an 'ante' is put in place to further bump up the value of the pot before the hand begins. Each player pays the ante into the pot before then hand is dealt.

Texas Holdem Rules - The Deal

Once all players have been properly seated at the table and the blinds and/or antes have been paid into the pot, the deal begins. Each player will receive one card face down, in sequences starting with the player to the left of the dealer, then followed up by a second card in sequence to each player.

These are the player's 'hole' cards. A player can use both hole cards, one hole cards or none of their hole cards when comprising their final 5-card poker hand.

The hole cards can be used in any combination with the 5 communal cards on the board to make up the highest ranked poker hand possible. If the highest hand possible is made up of all 5 cards on the communal board, it is called 'playing the board.'

Texas Holdem Rules - The First Betting Round

Texas Holdem is played in three different betting formats:

• No-Limit
• Fixed-Limit
• Pot-Limit

In short, No-Limit means a player can bet the entire amount of their chips at any time. In Fixed Limit they may only bet a specified maximum amount in relation to the value of the blinds. In pot-limit the maximum bet is the current size of the pot.

For more detail on the different rules for Texas Holdem betting structures, see out articles here:

Texas Holdem games you've seen on TV, and most Texas Holde'm games in general these days, as played as No-Limit games. That means a player can go 'all in' at any point in the hand. This makes for very exciting TV and the spectacular outbursts you've likely seen during the World Series of Poker on ESPN.

Once the betting structure has been determined for each game, Texas Holdem is played with a small and a big blind -- two forced bets that are posted before the cards are dealt.

Once the blinds are posted each player is dealt two cards face down. When each player has their hole cards, it's time for the first betting round.

Starting with the player to the left of the big blind (called 'Under the Gun'), players in sequence either fold, 'call' the amount of the big blind (ie match the size of the big blind) or bet/raise.

In order to continue in a hand each player has to match the amount of the maximum bet (or equivalent). For example if the blinds are $1/$2 and someone raises the bet in their turn to $10, each player, including any players who have already acted in the hand, can now match that $10 in total or raise the bet even further.

The minimum bet in a Texas Hold'em game is equal to either twice the amount of the big blind (if no one has yet to raise) or twice the amount of the previous bet or raise.

Texas Holdem Rules - The Flop, Turn & River

When all the remaining players have contributed an equal amount to the pot, the next rounds of cards - in this case called 'the flop' is dealt.The dealer will 'burn' one card - that is deal it face down out of play, and then deal the next three cards off the top of the deck face up in the center of the table.

These are 'community cards, which mean that all players can use them to make up their best possible five-card poker hand. If you need a reminder of how poker hands are ranked in Texas Hold'em, you'll fine the official hand rankings below under The Showdown header

Once the flop has been dealt a second round of betting occurs in the same manner as the previous round, except this time it starts with the player directly to the left of the dealer (if he or she is still in the hand).

That means if the big blind is still in the hand he or she will bet first after the flop, followed by the small blind (if still in) and then the player who bet first in the first round (if still in) and so on.

This is obviously quite important as it changes which player has the final say in the hand. For this round and each subsequent betting round, the player on the button (or player closest to the button still in the hand) will act last.

Once all bets have again been equalized a fourth communal card, known as 'the turn' is dealt. The dealer burns the first card off the top of the dec again and deals the next card onto the table as the turn card.

After the turn is dealt another round of betting follows in the same manner as the flop round with the player still in the hand closest to the left of the dealer beginning the action. The player on the button again will act last.

After all bets have been matched again a fifth and final card, called 'the river' is dealt face up on the board. The card on top of the deck is again dealt face down out of play (burned) before the next card from the top is placed on the table.

Once the river is dealt a fifth betting round begins in the same format as the two rounds before it.

An Important Note on All Ins

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As mentioned, if playing Texas Hold'em in No-Limit format any player can push all of their chips into the middle at any point in a hand. As most players tend to have an unequal amount of chips in their stacks, once a player goes all in it is considered the 'effective' stack for the hand.

That means the maximum bet that can be played vs. that player is the amount of the total stack all in. so for example if a player has $200 in chips and goes all in, if another player with a bigger stack also declares All In later they will only be risking $200 vs. that player. Other players with larger stacks can also then call the All In and a side pot for the amount over $200 between the larger stacks will be created.

Texas Holdem Rules - The Showdown

Once the final betting round takes place. If more than one player is still in the hand after the betting is finished there is a 'showdown.' The player that made the last bet or raise reveals his/her cards first; if all players check the first player after the dealer shows the cards first.

The remaining players then reveal their hands clockwise. Players that don't want to (or can't) compete for the pot can choose to fold (muck) their hands unseen.

Again, a player can choose to use none, one or both of their hole cards together with the board cards to make their best hand. He/she can also 'play the board' - use all the five community cards to create a five-card hand.

The pot is won by the player with the best 5-card poker hand. If two or more players have the same hand, the pot is split between them. Here are the official poker hand rankings for Texas Hold'em:

• Royal Flush (A, K, Q, J, 10 all of same suit)
• Straight Flush. (5 cards in sequence all in same suit - eg 7h-8h-9h-Th-Jh)
• Four of a Kind. (All four cards of same rank)
• Full House. (3 cards of one rank alongside 2 cards of another - eg. 6h-6s-6d-8d-8c)
• Flush (All 5 cards or one suit, any rank)
• Straight (A sequence of 5 cards of rank, any suit - eg, 2h-3d-4c-5s-6c)
• Three of a kind (3 cards or any one rank, two unmatched cards)
• Two pair (Two different pairs plus one unmatched card)
• One pair (One pair of equal rank, 3 unmatched cards)
• High Card (all unmatched cards ranked by the highest single card)

Some common confusion about Texas Hold'em hand rankings:

Flush vs Flush -- The highest single card of the flush determines its overall ranking. Meaning any flush with an Ace in it is the higher flush. Even if the other flush has 'more' high-value cards in it, the single highest card of the flush determines the winner. Eg. A-6-4-3-2 beats K-Q-J-8-5

Two Pair vs Two Pair -- The highest single pair determines the winner, not the cumulative value of the two pairs together. Eg. AA-44 beats KK-QQ.

Full House vs. Full House -- The highest three-of-a-kind determines the higher full house. Eg. K-K-K-9-9 beats Q-Q-Q-J-J.

Also:

• A Flush always beats a Straight
• 3-of-a-Kind always beats Two Pair
• Suits do not determine ranks in Texas Holdem
• Straights do not 'wrap around' - meaning J-Q-K-A-2 is NOT a straight but A-2-3-4-5 is (ace can be low end of straight)

Texas Hold'em Rules - Tournaments

If you've only ever played Texas Hold'em cash games but you'd like to give Texas Hold'em tournaments a try, don't be intimidated. The Texas Holdem rules themselves don't change drastically.

But there are some alteration to play that definitely change your optimal strategy approach. Here we'll give you just a quick overview of some of the basic differences between Texas Hold'em cash games and tournaments.

MTTs vs. Sit & Gos

Texas Hold'em tournaments can come in dozens of formats but the two basic ones are:

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• MTT - Multi-Table Tournaments
• Sit & Go - Single table tournaments (usually) that begin when all players are seated

A multi-table tournament, as you might expect, has multiple tables of players. All players pay a buy-in plus fees that secures entry to the tournament and a pre-determined starting stack of chips.

The final player left with chips at the end is the winner. Typically 10-15% of the prize pool is set aside to reward the top finishers on a sliding scale with the winner (and the other top 3-5 players getting the biggest share).

A Sit & Go (SnG) is usually a single-table tournament with anywhere from 3-10 players. Each player pays the same buy-in to play and is given an equal starting stack. The last player left usually wins all the money (or the Top 3 players are paid).

SnGs play at very low $ levels online and start up virtually every few minutes. SnGs can also run in Jackpot format (the prize pool is randomly multiplied before the event begins) or Turbo formats (extra fast blinds).

Beware the Rising Blinds

Another major difference between cash games and tournaments are the rising blinds. In a cash game the blinds for the table are static and remain set throughout play. There is a minimum and maximum buy in for the table and if you lose your stack you can buy in to the table again for any amount between those two figures.

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In a poker tournament, the blinds will increase on set intervals to force the action. A standard level time for a poker tournament is around 30-45 minutes. The blind structure for the tournament is posted beforehand so you'll know exactly when the blinds will increase and by how much. This ensures the action and means you can't just sit and wait for big hands to play or you will 'blind out' of the tournament.

Dozens of Texas Hold'em Tournament Formats

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While the game begin played at the table is always Texas Hold'em (and follows its basic rules), there are literally dozens of different types of Texas Holdem tournaments you can play from Re-Buy and Re-Entry tournaments to Freezeouts, Bounty, Heads-up, etc so be sure to check which type you're playing before you sign up.

The tournament director will provide a list of all the unique rules to the tournament beforehand for all players to see.

Play Texas Holdem Free Online

While a poker home game is a great way to be introduced to the rules of Texas Hold'em, the best way to improve your Texas Hold'em skills is to play in free Texas Holdem games online.

Virtually every poker site offers free-to-play, 'play money' poker games where you can try out the games and get used to the software before investing any money yourself. You can even win real money paying in free Texas Hold'em games to give your beginner bankroll a boost.

To see our list of the poker sites with the best free Texas Hold'em cash game and tournament options, see our page below.

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Although different types of poker games can be played at live casino Singapore, the basic rules of poker generally remain consistent from game to game. If someone asks “how to play poker”, they generally mean “how to play Texas Holdem”. Let's have a quick look at the poker rules before you start playing at live casino Singapore!

At the start of Texas Holdem poker, each live casino Singapore player is dealt two cards face down (these are called ‘pocket cards’ or ‘hole cards'). Then in the subsequent rounds, the live dealer will turn up another five cards on the poker table. These poker cards are called ‘community cards’. Every poker online game player can combine these cards with their two-hole cards to make their best five-card poker hand. The first three cards are known as the “flop”; the 4th card called the “turn” and the 5th and final community card is the “river.”

The poker game begins in a clockwise direction around the poker table. Before dealing any poker cards, live casino Singapore players must know who owns the ‘button’ (referred to as dealer). This button is used to identify where action should start from each point of the hand and which players have to post the small blind and big blind. Generally, the live casino Singapore players to the left of the dealer are required to post a small blind and the player to the left of him must post a big blind to initiate the betting. The small blind is generally half the amount of the big blind.

The poker card games players have following options when it is their turn to act:

• Bet: Live casino Singapore players put chips (money) into the pot
• Call: Match the amount of whatever the current bet is or match the amount of big blind
• Raise: Increase previous high bet
• Fold: Don’t have to contribute to the pot, but also discard their hand & cannot win any claim
• Check: Poker card game players pass the action to the next person in the hand

At Texas Holdem Poker, actions occur on multiple streets: Preflop, Flop, Turn, The River and The Shadow. Here is an explanation of the poker online game:

After the blinds are posted, the first betting round takes place after two-hole cards were dealt to each poker card game player. The action starts with the player to the left of the big blind. This position is usually referred to as “under the gun” or “UTG”. This position can either call the size of the final bet, or raise, or fold according to their wishes.

After Preflop betting actions are completed, three community cards are turned up in the center of the poker table (this is referred to as the “flop”). A second betting round is conducted starting with the poker game online player to the left of the button (dealer). The online poker game players can have the options to check or bet. Once a bet has been made, every poker card game players can either call, fold, or raise as they wish.

After Flop betting actions are completed, the following fourth community card is then placed face up in the center of the poker table (this referred to as the “turn” or “Fourth Street”). This round of betting is similar to the previous round of the poker card game. The players also have the options to bet, call, fold, raise or check as they wish.

The fifth and final community card (referred to as “the river” or “Fifth Street”) is now dealt turned up. All cards (two-hole cards and five community cards) have been dealt. A fifth betting round is conducted starting with “under the gun”.

After all poker online betting rounds are completed, the Showdown is reached. The remaining active players need to determine the strength of their poker hand. The online poker game players are able to use any combination of their two-hole cards and the five community cards on the table to form the best five-card poker hand possible. When hole cards are revealed, the live casino Singapore player with the highest-ranking hand wins the pot according to traditional poker hand rankings.

Poker Hand Rankings: What are the Best Hands in Poker Game?

An online poker game player who understands those poker rules can play any types of poker online games with ease. Learning the order of poker hand rankings quickly can increase your chances of winning the poker online game. After reading through the following list you will have a basic understanding of different poker hand rankings and which is the best poker hand.

Let’s take a look to the following list of Poker Hand rank from Highest to Lowest:

1. Royal Flush (or ‘Five of a Kind’): 10, J, Q, K, A, all in the same suit.
2. Straight Flush: Five cards in a sequence, all in the same suit.
3. Four of a Kind: All four cards of the same rank.
4. Full House: Three of a kind with a pair.
5. Flush: Any five cards of the same suit, but not in a sequence.
6. Straight: Five cards in a sequence, but not of the same suit.
7. Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank.
8. Two Pair: Two different pairs.
9. One Pair: Two cards of the same rank.
10. High Card: When you haven't made any of the poker hands above, the highest card plays.

As mentioned before, poker card games can be played in different formats. Below are the 5 different types of online poker games you need to know:

1. Texas Holdem

This is the most popular poker online game in the world of live casino Singapore. Texas Holdem Poker betting takes place in four rounds which include Preflop, Flop, Turn and The River. Poker online players need to combine these poker cards with their two-hole cards to make their best five-card poker hand.

2. Omaha

Omaha is the second popular poker game in the world. This poker game shares many similarities with Texas Holdem Poker but differs in the number of hole cards players are dealt.

3. Seven Card Stud

In this poker game, every player is dealt seven cards, three not revealed and four revealed. The player needs to make their best five-card poker hand from their seven cards.

4. Five Card Draw

In this form of draw poker, each poker online game player is dealt five cards, and each round has the opportunity to trade in one or more cards from his/her hand.

5. Razz

This stud game is different from the traditional poker card games. The goal of Razz is to have the lowest ranked hand rather than the highest from the seven cards you are dealt.

Now you know the poker rules and how to play poker online games at a live casino Singapore. What’s stopping you? Let’s enjoy your Texas Holdem Poker Free Game today and download the best live casino Singapore, 12Play now!