How to play Texas Hold‘em poker
Are you up for some Texas Hold‘em poker? This poker variation uses a regular 52-card pack, and every player receives two cards to start with. You’ll find two card types used in the game, as shown in the following table.
| Card Type in Texas Hold‘em |
What Does it Mean? |
| Hole Cards |
These are the cards you’re dealt as a player - no one else can see them |
| Community Cards |
Five cards are dealt onto the table for everyone to see and use to make up the best poker hand together with the hole cards |
Remember that everyone can see these. These are dealt in three stages:
- The flop - three cards are initially dealt onto the table
- The turn - another card is dealt face up
- The river - one final card is dealt face up
The turn and river cards are sometimes called the fourth and fifth street cards.
Texas Hold‘em poker rules
Every player places some virtual currency on the table having received their hole cards. As each stage of the community cards goes past, players must either continue to play or exit (fold). If you continue playing, you can either play the same amount of virtual currency played by others, or - if you think you’ve got a good hand - you can raise and see if that causes some other players to exit. You might have heard about a ‘poker face’ - this means convincing other players you’ve got a good hand and they won’t win against you, causing them to potentially fold when they might otherwise have won. All intriguing stuff!
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Pros and cons of playing Texas Hold’em
Pros and Cons
- Available at social and sweepstakes sites
- One of the most popular poker variants around
- Play free at social poker sites
- Easier to learn than other poker titles
- Lots of hands to become familiar with
How to play Texas Hold‘em poker at social and sweepstakes sites
If this is your first time trying Texas Hold’em at a sweepstakes casino, here are some tips to help you make the most out of your play session.
🎮 Play your Gold Coins first
Start with Gold Coins or the equivalent, as you’ll be able to play it safely and at no cost. Gold Coins (GCs) are great for practicing a few hands of the social game, keeping you going while you collect more Sweeps Coins (SCs) to use later. You can use SCs to play the sweepstakes format. If you win more Sweeps Coins, you can redeem those for a real prize. That’s how you can play
Texas Hold‘em poker online for real money prize
chances.
If you’ve got a weak hand, exiting after the flop is a good strategy. It will protect you from losing more tokens, even in a social poker game.
👀 Learn to assess your fellow players
Some people will always lay down a small amount of Gold Coins per play. If they suddenly lay down more, you know they are going to have a strong hand. This could influence whether you fold or continue.
Play Texas Hold‘em poker at these social and sweepstakes sites
You’ll find
free Texas Hold‘em poker
at more sites than you’d think. I can recommend the following options - some might offer a
Texas Hold‘em poker app, but it’s usually easy enough to play socially at each website, whether you’re on a computer or mobile device.
There are welcome offers at all the sites I’ll review here, so I’ve provided a table with the latest info in it to help you compare them.
| Site |
Bonus Offer |
| RealPrize |
100,000 Gold Coins and 2 Sweeps Coins |
| Stake.us |
Use the code STFSOCIAL to collect the exclusive bonus of 10,000 Gold Coins, 1 Stake Cash, and 5% rakeback - you will also receive 250,000 Gold Coins and 25 Stake Cash when you join and verify your account. Finally, the 30-day daily login total will bring a further 300,000 Gold Coins and 30 Stake Cash. |
| Clubs Poker |
Daily login bonus of 2,500 Gold Coins and 0.5 Sweeps Coins (they also have an optional first purchase offer of 200,000 Gold Coins for $20) |
| ClubWPT |
5,000 Play Chips - these are topped back up to that level each day if you drop below 5,000 |
| Global Poker |
5,000 Gold Coins |
RealPrize: 500+ social games
RealPrize: Pros & Cons
- Over 500 games
- Slots from top developers
- Table games and live dealers
- Inclusive rewards program
- No mobile app for Android
Yep, there are plenty of social games to play at RealPrize, so you don’t just have
Texas Hold‘em poker
rules to read more about. Slots from Relax Gaming and Red Tiger land in the mix there, and I’ve enjoyed being able to try some of those in between my poker efforts. You can grab their app from the App Store or just visit the website to play there. The signup bonus also gives you plenty of Gold Coins to start with.
Stake.us: Poker and plenty more
Stake.us: Pros & Cons
- Modern social casino
- Legit and trustworthy
- Excellent game selection
- Cool promo offers
- No Stake.us app for Android
Poker is just one type of social game waiting for you at Stake.us. I also noted plenty of live dealer titles to try, along with over 1,000 slot games. Stake.us stands out thanks to its collection of original titles and Stake Exclusives, both giving the site an edge over many of its competitors. Stake Poker is a recent addition, but it’s one of many card or table games you can play there. Remember to use promo code STFSOCIAL at sign up to unlock the exclusive bonus of 560K Gold Coins, 56 Stake Cash, and a 5% rakeback.
Clubs Poker: Ideal for beginners
Clubs Poker Sweepstakes Casino: Pros & Cons
- Free-to-play online poker platform
- Generous welcome bonus
- Log in every day to claim free Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins
- Impressive first-purchase bonus
- Fully compliant with US sweepstakes laws
- Clubs Poker doesn’t have a mobile app
You’ll find Texas Hold‘em and much more on offer at Clubs Poker. As the title suggests, the site focuses on this card game above all else, giving you a chance to try it in a social and sweepstakes format. I was also impressed to see a guide on poker in general, including details about formats, variants, and rake. If you’re completely new to poker, this is a good place to learn more about it.
ClubWPT: Powered by Play Chips
ClubWPT: Pros & Cons
- Competitive welcome bonus
- Hourly bonus
- Great social poker games
- Regular poker tournaments
Play Chips are the virtual currency you’ll use in place of Gold Coins at ClubWPT, but they work just the same. The poker strategy page is worth checking out if you’re new, as it explains a lot about various ways to play these social poker games. As such, ClubWPT is a good place to learn more about poker while using the Play Chips. If you run out or go below 5,000 Play Chips in a day, they’ll top you up again the following day, too.
Global Poker: Weekly poker tournaments
Global Poker: Pros & Cons
- Generous welcome offer
- Smooth user experience
- Frequent promotions & tournaments
If you are searching for social poker tournament action, Global Poker is a good site to try. There is a welcome bonus plus daily login bonuses to claim, plus you can play a range of social poker games including Caribbean Poker and Casino Hold‘em. They also offer a poker dictionary for beginners to start learning some of the terms, along with card room rules.
Conclusion: Play Texas Hold‘em poker at these top social casinos
This poker variant is probably the simplest to learn if you have never played any poker before. It’s popular for that reason, and because there are hole cards and community cards to make up the game. The rules aren’t too complex, so you should begin to get a better feel for the format within a few hands. Playing at social and sweepstakes casinos also gives you the chance to enjoy it with no GC purchase necessary. If you play with Sweeps Coins and win a few, you can also redeem those SCs for real prizes. What’s not to like?
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How to play Texas Hold‘em poker FAQs
♠️ How do you win in Texas Hold‘em?
You need to combine your two hole cards with the community cards to create the best possible hand and beat other players.
💰 Can you win real money at social and sweepstakes poker sites?
You cannot do so directly, but if you play with Sweeps Coins, any SC winnings you receive can be redeemed for a real prize.
🃏 Are poker rules for Texas Hold‘em easy to understand?
This is one of the easier versions of poker, so it is often the one beginners start with. Familiarize yourself with the various poker hands you can get, and you’ll find it easier to work out how to combine your hole cards with the five community cards that are drawn.
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