Sun, Apr 28, 3:07am by Mia Chapman
Play online poker games at Full Tilt. The real beautiful game. It’s even more beautiful when you play it with Full Tilt. Sit down in the presence of the greats, like Texas Hold’em and Omaha. This page is dedicated to bringing you information and bonuses for all of the top real money online poker sites. All of the sites listed on this page allow players to play for money, but so do.
Last Updated Tue, Oct 8, 12:32am
Game Basics
Texas holdem is a poker game which uses the traditional card ranks. An ace is the high card, but can substituted for “1” in the case of a straight. The next highest card is a king, then a queen, then a jack. The descending order of rank after that is 10 through 2. A pair beats any high card, while two pairs beat any one pair. Three of a kind beats two pair, but is beaten by a straight, which is 5 cards in a row (example: 8-9-10-jack-queen). A flush is five cards of the same suit, with the suits being diamonds, clubs, hearts, and spades. A full house comes next, which is 3 cards of one rank and 2 cards of another rank. Four of a kind beats full house, while a straight flush beats 4 of a kind. The highest hand is the royal flush, which is the 10-jack-queen-king-ace of any one suit.
When cards are dealt, each player at the table receives two cards face down (hole cards). A round of betting starts the action. Two players at the table must wager, no matter what cards they receive, in order to spur action. These ante bets are called the big blind and the small blind, with the small bet half of the big one. The blinds rotate around the table equally.
After an opening round of betting occurs, three cards are placed in the centre of the table in what is called “the flop”. These are community cards, and each player can build hands with them. Another round of betting occurs, and then a fourth card (the turn) is dealt to the community. Yet another round of bets happen, at which point the fifth and final community card is played (the river card). After the river, a final round of betting happens. When cards are revealed, the player with the best 5 cards from the 7 possible cards at their disposal wins.
Read this page for more about how to play Texas holdem for beginners.
Online Gambling Technical Requirement
That’s how the game is played offline or online. When playing on a computer, special instructions are required. Your computer needs a compatible operating system. Microsoft Windows works best for downloads, while Mac OS and Linux OS might work for no download games, which are also sometimes called instant play, Flash, or Java games (based on the technology used in the latter two cases). Once you’re online, a player navigates to an online poker room.
Poker Rooms
Players make a decision on an online poker room based on a number of variables. Legality is one issue. Licensing is a related variable, which depends on which government around the world issues a gambling license and regulates gambling activities on the site. Software support is important.
In 1994, Microgaming was one of the first companies to design gambling software. Plenty of competitors followed, though Microgaming still powers the largest number of gambling websites on the Internet. Promotional offers and bonus rewards are an important enticement, money options for deposits and withdrawals are key in determining loyalties. Some players choose according to game selection or the reputation of the cardroom.
Signing Up
Once on a website, you’ll need to register an account, which is also called “signing up.” Players give the cardroom operator their basic information, such as name, address, email address, and age confirmation (to assure you’re old enough to play legally). Many poker sites now offer a no-deposit bonus, which is usually a few dollars of bonus money added to your account. This freeplay money allows you to test out the site and see if the software meets your requirements. Players can also test out the software by playing for free, so the money wagered is imaginary.
Downloading the Casino
Now that you’ve signed up, you can download the casino by clicking on “Download”. Once downloaded, click “Run” to install and play instantly or “Save” to install for a later game sessions. If you don’t want to download the full casino software, click “Instant Play”, “No Download”, or “Flash Casino” to play using a browser-based game.
Deposits and Cashouts
If you want to play for real money with serious levels of cash, you’ll need to make a deposit. This is done using a credit card, debit card, web wallet, e-voucher, or bank wire transfer. Payment is instant, so you can be playing in a couple of minutes. Visa and Mastercard usually allow payments, while their debit equivalents also work. E-wallets like Skrill/Moneybookers, NETELLER, UKash, Click2Pay, Ecocard, ClickandBuy, POLi, and even PayPal are used to move money to the gambling sites. When it’s time to make a withdrawal, the options for how you get paid are likely to be less. Also, you’ll need to wait 4-5 business days for a security check and your bank to transact the business.
When making your first deposit, almost all casinos offer a deposit bonus, also called a match, initial deposit, or welcome bonus. This might be as little as $20 or as much as $20,000, though most casinos offer signup bonuses between $100 and $1000, with provisions also made for Euros or UK pounds.
Enter Lobby – Click on Game
Once you have the software downloaded and your account funded, you can enter the virtual lobby and choose a game. You’ll see options like Texas holdem, Omaha, Omaha hi/lo, seven-card stud, 5-card draw, razz, badugi, and H.O.R.S.E. offered. Also, players need to make choices on whether they want to play no limit, pot limit, or cap limit. You’ll need to make a decision on the blinds you play at, because these include high roller, low roller, and rungs in between.
Event types are another decisions. If you don’t want to play a poker tournament, you can choose a cash game, also called a ring game. Plenty of tournament options exist. The freezeout is the standard tournament like the WSOP Main Event, where you play until all chips are gone. A re-buy event lets you buy a new chip stack if you get knocked out of contention, while an add-on lets you make add more chips to a dwindling stack. If you don’t have time for the big guaranteed events on the weekends, you can play in short tournaments called turbo events or sit ‘n go tournaments. Those who don’t want to spend a lot of money can enter freeroll tournaments, which you don’t have to spend a money to enter.
Once you’ve entered the gaming lobby and selected a virtual room or tournament to play in, the game should begin. Now it’s a matter of using the skills you learned through a lifetime of offline card playing to good use. Good luck playing online Texas holdem.
See our article about no limit Texas holdem strategy for beginners for more about how to play and how to win. We also offer an introduction to Texas holdem strategy in general here.
See also:
Real money Texas Holdem exploded in popularity in the early years of the 21st century, and it’s largely responsible for the overall increase in online gambling. This came about primarily because of the 2003 and 2004 World Series of Poker wins by Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, as both men had qualified for the tournament by playing in Internet satellite events.
Texas Holdem remains a mainstay of any virtual card room, with software giants such as Microgaming and Playtech turning out their own versions. Larger casinos commonly feature a mixture of casual players and pros, which presents customers with a rare opportunity to compete against their idols for cash.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the basics of playing Texas Holdem for real money. From finding a reliable online casino to keeping the IRS off your back, it’s been created with the intention of helping both novices and seasoned pros. By the time you’ve finished reading, you should be better prepared to enter the exciting world of virtual card playing.
Playing Texas Holdem for Real Money
The biggest difference between playing Texas Holdem for fun and real money is, of course, the presence of actual cash. You can find free versions of most any casino game online, and these are designed to teach you the basics without draining your wallet in the process. Since most of these are games of chance, though, the actual outcome isn’t much different (unless the designers of the free software have decided to grant the player a higher-than-usual winning percentage).
There is one bit of good news when transitioning from free to real money Texas Holdem, however. When you play the free version, the computer is usually going to make the best moves possible for your virtual opponents. This isn’t always the case with real-life opposition, though, as they may be distracted or just downright awful at the game of poker. Therefore, some players find that their overall success rate is better against live opposition.
The Basics of the Game
The objective of Texas Holdem is to create the best possible 5-card poker hand using a combination of your two hole cards and five community cards. The last player remaining in a hand wins all the money in the pot.
The game is played by a group of individuals seated around a table, and the current dealer is indicated by possession of the dealer button (which passes clockwise following each hand). To the immediate left of the dealer is the player responsible for posting the small blind. The player to their left is charged with posting the big blind before the start of a new hand, and it’s usually worth double the value of the small blind. These blinds are always required at the start of a hand, and some games may also stipulate that the other participants chip in an ante bet.
After the initial wagers have been made, the dealer gives each player two face-down cards (known as “hole cards”). From this point on, each dealer action is followed by a round of betting on behalf of the players.
The dealer next places three community cards face-up in the center of the table (known as “the flop”). After another round of betting, a fourth card is added (“the turn”). Finally, a fifth card is added (“the river”) after the players have once again had a chance to make their wagers.
During any betting round, the player can choose to continue or fold. In the case of the latter, the player forfeits all money that they’ve committed to the current hand.
There are cases when a player may win simply because everyone else has folded. In most scenarios, however, a hand comes down to two or more players (known as the “showdown”). These opponents engage in one last round of betting, at which point any of them may still choose to drop out by folding. If at least two participants remain, the players reveal their hole cards to determine which one has the superior five-card hand.
The winner collects the pot, as the hand is now complete. The dealer button rotates clockwise to the next player, which also changes the position of the small and big blinds. At this point, another hand begins. In tournament play, this usually continues until all players but one have been eliminated due to chip loss.
Finding a Safe Site
Choosing an online card room can sometimes be a tricky proposition, as there are a number of unethical sites currently in operation. Some might refuse to pay their customers on the grounds of some small technicality, while others prefer to delay payments for as long as possible (in the hopes that the player will give up and gamble away the money in the meantime).
In order to avoid these headaches, it’s best to do some research before choosing a site and opening an account. There are tons of online reviews to sift through to give you a good idea of which sites are truly trustworthy.
A number of watchdog sites also exist, and the best examples maintain a level of impartiality that gives their reviews and opinions additional weight. This is my preferred method of choice, and it’s one that I highly recommend to any serious gambler.
Most Popular Types of Texas Holdem
Once you’ve located a safe and reliable card room, you’ll have to decide which type of Texas Holdem you want to play. There are three types commonly found on almost all sites, and they include the following:
- Limit Holdem – This type of game has a fixed betting structure, which means each player is limited to the amount of money they can wager. It’s common for the fixed amount to double at some point in the game, and this amount is referred to as the “big bet.” If you see a Limit Holdem game listed as $30/$60, it means the following: each individual wager by the player in the early stages is limited to $30, while the amount later increases to $60 as the big bet takes effect.
- No Limit Holdem – This is the most popular version of the game, as players are unencumbered by any limitations on their wagers. On any given bet, they can wager up to their entire stack of virtual chips.
- Pot Limit Holdem – In this version of the game, players are generally prevented from raising more than the size of the total pot. This includes both previous wagers in the current betting round, as well as chips collected in prior rounds. The dealer is charged with keeping track of the overall size of the pot and informing the players of the sum upon request.
Getting the Proper Hardware/Software
In order to run a casino or card room at maximum efficiency, you’ll need to meet certain standards in regard to software and hardware. Fortunately, most decent computers already meet these standards, but it doesn’t hurt to look at a specific site’s requirements to make sure. After all, there’s nothing worse than trying to play poker with inferior graphics and occasional freezes during the action.
Legal Online Poker
In some parts of the world, Internet poker is perfectly legal. Other nations, however, either outright ban the practice or place severe limitations on the customer’s ability to transfer money to and from an offshore gaming establishment. Ultimately, it’s up to you to know which of these applies to your jurisdiction.
One simple tactic is to visit the poker room that you’re interested in signing up with. If your country is prohibited, there’s a chance that you may be barred from the site. This is a rather straightforward way to determine your eligibility, but it’s not foolproof.
If you can access the site, the next step is to read the terms and conditions page. Buried somewhere among all the legal terminology should be a list of states and countries that are prohibited. If your residence isn’t included, then you should be able to open an account without any problems.
Fortunately, most countries hold the poker room responsible instead of the player. This means that even if you somehow slip through the cracks, you shouldn’t have to worry about any legal repercussions.
Keep Your Gambling Under Control
Gambling addiction can creep up on anyone, so it’s always wise to be on the lookout for signs of a problem. If you find yourself constantly craving the excitement of poker or other casino games, and you can’t muster the willpower to stop playing, then you likely have a serious problem on your hands.
If this occurs, it’s important to seek help as soon as possible. A number of online resources are available to assist with such a situation, and most casinos allow users to voluntarily ban themselves (or limit the amount of money they can wager within a certain span of time).
The House Edge
Texas Hold'em Online For Money
The house edge is expressed as a percentage, and it indicates the overall advantage that a specific game has over the player. For example, in a game with a 2% house edge, the player could expect (on average) to win back $98 of every $100 they wagered. As you’ve probably realized, this edge is vital to the long-term profitability of the casino.
Texas Holdem, however, has no house edge, as the players are competing against one another instead of the casino. On the negative side of things, this means it’s impossible to get a sense of your long-term ratio of wins to losses. On the positive side, however, it indicates that you control your own destiny, and you could theoretically win every hand you participate in (although I wouldn’t hold my breath).
Practice Makes Perfect
With most casino favorites, playing repeatedly only helps familiarize the customer with the rules. Since most options are games of chance, there’s no opportunity to actually grow as a player. That’s not the case with Texas Holdem, which is why continual play over thousands of hands can mean the difference between a contender and a pretender.
Of course, this can also require a large expenditure of cash on the part of the player. Even skilled gamblers are bound to suffer through a bad beat on occasion, which is why bankroll management is also a vital part of the process.
If you’re just starting out, you might want to try some free Texas Holdem software in order to learn the basics. A number of leading video game companies also make games that feature poker, and this is a safe way to learn the rules and experiment with different strategies before you graduate to real money play.
Since a lot of veteran online players often seek out rookies to compete against, an increasing numbers of Internet casinos offer special tables where only newcomers can participate. I suggest sticking with these tables for as long as you can, as it’s a great way to stay protected while getting the hang of things. You might even befriend some fellow novices along the way, which should provide the opportunity to help one another in your respective journeys to poker greatness.
How Poker Rooms Make a Profit
Since players are competing against one another instead of the house, online poker rooms have to look for another method in order to generate a profit. This is done by collecting the “rake,” which is a small percentage of each pot in cash games. In addition, the site may charge an entrance fee for tournaments, which can range from tiny to rather large.
Online Poker and Sign-Up Bonuses
In order to attract customers, most casinos and virtual card rooms offer a sign-up bonus. This is presented as free money for opening an account and depositing money, but there are actually a few strings attached.
The most common bonuses include the following:
- Match Bonus – When you sign up, the casino matches your initial deposit up to a certain amount. This is the most common type of bonus, although the player is required to meet wagering requirements before the money can be withdrawn. In some cases, the money can only be withdrawn in increments.
- Instant Sign-Up Bonus – This is cash deposited straight into your account when you sign up. The amount is generally small (less than $10), and it can often be free of the usual rollover requirements. Since some players abuse these offers, they’re not available at all casinos.
- Refer-a-Friend Bonus – If you refer someone to a site, you’ll receive a bonus amount once the player has made a deposit and met certain wagering requirements.
- Reload Bonus – If the player is willing to deposit additional money into their account, they may have a chance to receive this type of matching bonus. Before the money can be withdrawn, however, the player has to meet the site’s wagering requirements.
In order to see how a matching bonus works for online poker, let’s look at an example. Let’s say the player deposits $500 in their account, and the bonus promises a matching amount up to $1,000. That’s $500 (initial deposit) + $500 (bonus), which results in a total of $1,000 in the player’s account.
While the above may sound simple, it gets more complicated once the player is ready to withdraw the bonus money. In order to cash out a bonus, the player has to meet guidelines known as “wagering requirements.” These are generally dictated by frequent player points, which are earned based on the amount of rake paid by the player.
The more the player gambles, the more points they earn. The more points they earn, the closer they get to being able to withdraw their bonus.
While reputable poker rooms are willing to pay out the bonus, they want to make sure that you’ve lost at least that much in the process of meeting the requirements. This allows the card room to come out ahead in the long run, which is the purpose of their business in the first place.
Keeping Financial Records
In a perfect world, revenue received from gambling wouldn’t be subject to income tax. Actually, that’s the case in a few select countries (Australia, for example), but the rest of us still have to fork over a percentage to our government so they can build bombs and bridges.
When you gamble online, always make sure to keep a running total of the profits made for the year. If you fail to report $100 or less, the chances of a problem are low. When you make $1,000 or more, however, neglecting to report it could lead to everything from jail time to garnished wages.
Best Texas Holdem Sites For Us Players
Conclusion
Texas Holdem Online Real Money
Real money Texas Holdem is the most popular online card game, and it also ranks as one of the top options for serious gamblers. The rules are easy to learn, but the required strategy is enough to make it a challenge for even longtime veterans.
Best Texas Holdem Free Online
Just remember to perform your due diligence before committing to a site, and always be sure to keep track of annual winnings in order to satisfy any sort of income tax requirements. Once you’ve got all the boring details out of the way, you’ll be able to pull up a virtual chair, relax, and enjoy a game that’s become a household name since the dawn of the new millennium.