Two Ways to Win Texas Hold’Em Poker. Having the best hand isn’t the only way to win, which is what sets poker apart from other gambling games as a game of skill. To put it simply, there are two ways to win a hand: Showdown: Betting or checking until all community cards are dealt, then comparing hands to determine the winner. Poker Beginners Guide: Introduction to Texas Hold'em This guide will teach you the basics in a number of small, interactive steps. The best way for beginners to start to the game is to master Texas Hold'em. Over the past 10 years this has become the most popular form of poker in the world. Learn Texas Hold’em game in addition to Governor of Texas Poker 3 will become a great and interesting tutorial for newbies and beginners. You will get a chance to play against 8 players. You will get a chance to play against 8 players.

Texas Holdem is the most popular variant of poker and the one we recommend beginners start with. Once you have a good understanding of Texas Holdem, other poker variants are quite similar and will be easier to learn.

The object of Texas Hold em poker is to create the best five-card hand using seven available cards. Each player is dealt 2 cards which only they can see and use. There are then 5 cards dealt to the middle of the table which are community cards which everybody can see and use.

Dealer Button

Once the game starts an imaginary dealer is assigned. Obviously with online poker the computer does all the dealing automatically but this nominal dealer is important as it indicates who posts the compulsory bets (known as blinds) before each hand and it also indicates who is first to act in each betting round.

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The current dealer is indicated by a disc marked with a “D” known as the dealer button. At the end of each hand the dealer button moves along to the next player to the left of the current dealer and continues to move clockwise after each hand is finished.

The Blinds

In Texas Holdem there are two compulsory bets that are made before the start of each hand. These are known as the “Small blind” and the “Big blind” and ensures that there are chips to be won in every hand.

The player to the immediate left of the dealer places the small blind and the player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind.

In No Limit games the size of the blinds is set by the stakes of the table you are at. So for example at a $1 / $2 table the small blind would be $1 and the big blind would be $2.

Before The Flop – First Betting Round

Once the blinds have been posted, two cards are dealt face down to each player at the table, these are known as “hole cards”. Only the individual player can see these cards.

At this point the first betting round begins and each player must make a decision on how to act based on the strength of their hole cards. They have the following options:

1. Fold – Throw the cards away and not play in this hand
2. Call – Call the size of the big blind or highest bet if another player has raised, and take part in the hand
3. Raise – Make a larger bet than the current bet (or big blind). Any other player who wants to continue would then have to call your increased bet in order to carry on. A raise must be at least an increase the size of the Big Blind so the minimum raise would be 2 times the big blind amount. In No Limit there is no maximum to your raise, It can be your whole stack if you wish.

Action always goes clockwise on a table. On the first betting round, the first person to act is the player to the left of the big blind. Each player acts in turn until all the players have acted at the table, and the amount put into the pot by each player remaining in the hand is equal.

The Flop – Second Betting Round

After the first betting round has finished, the dealer places 3 cards face up in the middle of the table – this is known as the “Flop”. The cards in the middle of the table are called “Community Cards” as they are shared by all the players towards making their final hands.

Players can now see 5 cards (2 hole cards + 3 community cards) out of the 7 cards to come and should have good idea of how their hand is developing. At this point the second betting round begins.

In this and all subsequent betting rounds, the action starts with the first player remaining in the hand to the left of the dealer. This player can either:

1. Check – not bet anything
2. Bet – place a bet which the other players must at least call to continue in the hand. The minimum bet is the size of the big blind.

If everyone checks then this betting round ends with no-one betting. As soon as someone bets then the other players can either:

1. Fold – drop out the hand
2. Call – call the bet that has been made
3. Raise – increase the bet that has been made which the other players must then call to continue in the hand.

As in the previous betting round, the plays continues clockwise around the table until all players have called, checked or folded and the amount placed in the pot by each player still in the hand is equal.

The Turn

After the second betting round, the dealer places a 4th community card, face up on the table – this is called the “Turn card”, it is sometimes also referred to as “Fourth Street”.

After the Turn there is a third betting round, which operates in exactly the same way as the previous betting round.

The River

After the third betting round, the dealer places the 5th and final community card face up on the table – this is called the “River card”.

After the River the fourth and final betting round takes place in the same way as the previous round.

The Showdown

After the final round of betting, each player still left in the hand can use any combination of the 2 hole cards in their hands and the 5 community cards on the table to produce the best 5 card hand.

The player with the highest ranking hand wins the pot. If two or more players have the same value hand then the pot is split between them equally.

If you have not already learnt which hand is better than another then please look at our Poker Hand Ranking Guide.

Next Hand

Once the hand has finished and the pot has been awarded to the winning player, the game moves onto the next hand.

The dealer button moves to the next player on the left of the current dealer, the cards are shuffled, the blinds are posted by the next two players and the cards are dealt again.

Where to Play Texas Holdem?

We recommend 888 Poker for a great place to play Texas Holdem. To find out more about them see our 888 Poker Review or to see alternate rooms to play Texas Holdem then see the Professor's reviews in our Poker Reviews section.

Online poker has been popular for at least a decade. As a result, if you type in “Poker” into any app store, you will be bombarded with several hundred options. Trying to filter out the games and finding the top training apps could prove to be a fruitless task.

There’s a thriving sub-sector within the poker industry, offering all levels of training and assistance for your game.

We’ve done the hard work for you and put together our top 10:

BravoPokerLive

Compatible with: iOS and Android

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BravoPokerLive is a great tool to keep you on top of the latest news from the world of poker. It helps you to keep track of tournaments in your local area.

With over 100,000 downloads on Android alone, BravoPokerLive is useful for those just getting into the game and to learn about the different tournament formats.

Poker Fighter

Compatible with: Android

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If you are a complete newbie and you want to learn about the old fashioned Texas Hold’em Poker game, then Poker Fighter is designed to give you that fighting chance.

It allows you to play stimulated games with real hands, get immediate feedback from professional players, and the best part? It’s all risk free. None of your cash will be at stake in these games.

This would give you an invaluable foundation to work from as you progress into cash games.

Poker Copilot

Compatible with: Mac and Windows

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We couldn’t not put our entry in here. Poker Copilot is an app that’s designed to not only improve your own game but also highlight the weaknesses of your opponents.

One of our many advanced features is the HUD (head-up display). It shows information about each player live, on the poker tables. The information is updated after each hand to help you make the best decisions. Another is the ability to monitor and identify patterns in your game, and point out any consistent errors.

Poker Copilot can prove to be a real asset to your game and lead you to lucrative winnings.

Tournament Poker Coach

Compatible with: iOS and Android

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Tournament Poker Coach works in a similar way to Poker Fighter. It offers a risk-free way to learning how to play the right way. It stimulates real-life games and players get evaluated by selected coaches, earning rewards for each hand they play right.

This app works with a variety of tournament structures and limits, and helps to sharpen your game. Whether you’re a newcomer or just looking to refresh your skills, Tournament Poker Coach will prove useful.

PokerGuide HD

Compatible with: Android

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Poker Guide is exactly what it says it is. The ultimate guide to poker and it has six main features:

• Poker Hands: Ranks the different poker hands from best to worst. End any dispute about which hand trumps the other.
• Poker Rules: Displays the rules of a format of your choice. Whether it’s Texas Hold’em or Omaha, this guide has got your back.
• Poker Terms: Stuck on the poker lingo? Refer to this list of terms to get you up to speed.
• Poker Tips: Divided into three levels of ability, this feature will show you how to improve your game.
• Standing Hand Chart: It shows you which hands you should play with (And ones you definitely shouldn’t).
• Blind Timer: This helps you organize your next poker game at home with your mates. It sets the timing between rounds, lets you pause or speed the game, and calculates the total time of a tournament.

As you can see, Poker Guide covers most aspects of poker and can be an valuable asset for newbies and more established players.

How to Poker

Compatible with: Android

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With a rating of 4.5 from over 100 Android users, the How to Poker app is one of the most highly regarded out there. As well as a “cheat sheet,” which gives you a good overview of poker, it provides the following:

• Quick rules on hands to play and when to fold.
• Instructions for All in rules.
• Learn how split pot works.
• How does a side pot work.
• Practice offline poker, no internet required, and get yourself ready for poker online.

Suitable for both beginners and advanced players, this can be a great addition to your repertoire.

Texas Holdem Poker Pro

Compatible with: Android

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The appeal of this app is that you can just jump right in and play poker. With over 5 million downloads on Android alone, Texas Holdem Pro is one of the most popular apps out there. There are free tables for all levels of ability, and once you’ve had the tutorials, you will eager to test yourself against real players.

This app allows you to do just that, without the risk of losing any cash. The live chat feature also enables you to communicate with other players, where you can learn about how they think.

Combined with other poker training apps, Texas Holdem Pro can help you to step up your game.

SnapShove

Compatible with: iOS and Android

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Founded by professional poker player, Max Silver, SnapShove is a built-in calculator and training app that can answer your questions in real-time. The free version uses data from over one million stimulated games to make its calculations. There’s also a training tool where you can further improve your game.

At $19.99, SnapShove Pro offers even more features including a “Call-In” tool which advises you when to go in or to fold.

The fact it’s used by some of the world’s top poker players shows its value. This is an app that can form an integral part of your poker game.

Poker Helper

Compatible with: Android

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Most of the apps we have covered cater for players of all abilities. This one is for advanced players. Poker Helper is a simple, yet highly effective app that assists you in making the right decisions at the table.

You can enter any card combination and it will calculate the odds, which will help you play the right hands. It considers the full range of factors, including where you’re sitting, the blind you’re playing, and the number of players.

It’s popular with users too, with a rating of 4.2 on Android.

Poker Omaha Hand Trainer

Compatible with: Android

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With so much focus on Texas Holdem, which is the most popular poker game, Omaha can often get overlooked. This is where Poker Omaha Hand Trainer comes in. If you want to add a bit of variety to your game, then switching to Omaha could be the move for you.

Even the best Texas Holdem players can get thrown by the differences with Omaha. This app is designed to help make that transition easier. You can check out the rank of hands and identify the winning combinations. There’s a practice mode where you play out a game to see it for yourself.

If you’re uncertain about the intricacies of Omaha, then use this app to build your confidence.

Final Thoughts

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Poker is a complex game and it should be treated as such. There’s no reason to jump in blind and lose your hard-earned cash in the process. These apps are all designed to help you learn the craft, give you tips on what to look out for, and when to play your hand. Since most of them are free, and offer practice games, it’s now easier than ever before to graduate from poker novice to a shark.

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There’s a caveat here. None of these apps will win you games on its own. You need to use your own judgment to make the right calls. Of course, you won’t get it right every time but with these apps, you will start to see your profits climb.