How to Deal Texas Hold’em (+ How to Play)
Poker is one of the most popular table games, and it’s often the first thing that many people play when they first head to a casino. But in addition to playing the normal version, people are often drawn to Texas Hold’em. Even if you’ve never played this edition of poker before, you will almost certainly have heard of it.
Texas Hold’em is incredibly popular in many of the same places where you can also play poker. For example, you can easily play the game online – with many of the biggest providers offering it. Similarly, you should not have too much of a problem finding a place to play Texas Hold’em… especially if you go to a big casino city like Las Vegas.
But as famous as Texas Hold’em is, many beginner players make a huge mistake.
What, we hear you ask?
Quite simply, they do not do any prior research before sitting at the table. And if you choose to do the same as them, you will put yourself at a significant disadvantage. To help you out, we’ve created this complete guide on how to deal in Texas Hold’em – along with how to play the game altogether. So, if that sounds interesting, continue reading.
How to Play Texas Hold’em
Before we go into the intricacies of winning at Texas Hold’em, it’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of how to play the game full-stop. One of the most interesting things about the game is that unlike many other casino games, you will have to deal the cards at some point. You, along with the other players will begin with two cards.
Various rounds will then commence after the initial deal has been done. In total, you’ll get seven cards – and the same is true for the other players in the game. The two cards you receive in the beginning must face downwards on the table, whereas the other five are face-up instead.
If you want to win at Texas Hold’em, you will need to create a winning hand of five cards. But interestingly, you don’t need to have the highest number sometimes to win. If other players fold but you don’t for example, you would win by default.
What Is Ultimate Texas Hold’em?
In addition to Texas Hold’em, you’ll probably stumble across Ultimate Texas Hold’em when researching how to play the game online. So, for that reason, we will now discuss the differences between both of them. After doing that, you should hopefully have a better understanding of which one is the best to play for you.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em has many of the same rules that you would follow when playing the normal version of Texas Hold’em. However, there is one huge difference that you must keep in mind: Rather than playing against the other players at the table, you must beat the dealer instead. In this sense, Ultimate Texas Hold’em is similar to some other casino games that you might later play.
See Also: How to Play 3 Card Poker
How to Play Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Now that we’ve discussed how to play Texas Hold’em and what the difference is between this game and Ultimate Texas Hold’em, let’s look at how to play the latter as well. Like when playing Texas Hold’em, you get two cards to begin the game. When you start each game, you’ll begin with what’s known as a blind bet. As the name suggests, this bet requires you to place a wager without knowing what your card value is.
When playing the game, someone will also set what is known as an ante. You can later decide whether you want to meet this ante, but if you don’t have the cards to reach the requirements, you can also fold. Like in Texas Hold’em, folding is something that you should do sparingly.
How to Win at Texas Hold’em
So, you now know how to play both Texas Hold’em and Ultimate Texas Hold’em. But how exactly do you win when playing Texas Hold’em?
As we mentioned earlier in this guide, your hand must consist of at least five cards to win at Texas Hold’em. With each round, it’s likely that more players will drop out because their cards do not meet the requirements to win. By default, the final person left will win if everyone else has dropped out.
Of course, there might be scenarios where more than one person is left in the final round. In these situations, you will win if you’ve got a better hand than your opponent.
Okay, fine – but what if we tie?
Whereas the rules surrounding ties can be quite difficult in many casino games, that is not the case when playing Texas Hold’em. If your hand is the same as the other player in the final round, both of you will share the prize.
What Beats What When Playing Texas Hold’em?
Knowing the rules of Texas Hold’em is one piece of the jigsaw, but you also need to think about what actually wins when playing the game in terms of cards. With that in mind, let’s look into more detail about what the different cards in Texas Hold’em mean.
The best card combination you can get is a Royal Flush. This goes as follows: 10, J, Q, K, A. This is incredibly rare, and as you may have expected, it also offers the largest potential payout if you win.
Like other casino games, Aces have the highest value. However, you can combine these with other high-value cards – such as kings, queens, jacks, and 10. If you were to get two Aces in your initial two-card hand, the chances of winning would be hugely in your favor.
See Also: Pai Gow: How to Play
The Best Initial Hands
In addition to two Aces, your chances of forming a winning hand will also significantly increase if you have two kings or two queens. A combination of kings and Aces, along with two jacks, will also put you in a strong position.
Ideally, you’d want to avoid having a combination of lower numbers in your initial Texas Hold’em hand. If you get these, it’s not impossible to win – but you’ll face a huge uphill battle. Of course, there isn’t much you can do if this does happen – so you will have to hope that things work in your favor.
The Best Five-Card Hands in Texas Hold’em
Like when looking at your initial hands, symbol cards and 10 hold the highest value. However, you can win even if you have a low number. For example, getting four of a kind can put you in a strong position.
We’ll talk more about the different hands in Texas Hold’em later so that you’ve got some more information before you visit the casino.
How Many People Can Play Texas Hold’em?
Texas Hold’em is usually played in small groups. You need at least two people to play the game, but you can have up to 10. When you visit a casino, it’s possible that you’ll often see more toward the higher end of that number – especially if you’re playing Texas Hold’em at a Vegas or Atlantic City venue.
Generally speaking, it’s worth having a smaller group if you’re a beginner. That way, you’ll find it easier to pay attention and follow the rules more closely. Moreover, you can observe what others are doing without feeling too overwhelmed.
How to Deal Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Like when playing Texas Hold’em, one player will be the dealer in Ultimate Texas Hold’em. To deal in Texas Hold’em, you’ll need to deal two cards between you and the player. These need to be face-down, so neither of you will know what you’ve got until you’ve placed a blind bet.
After you’ve dealt the two cards and a bet has been placed, you can then place the other cards.
How to Win at Ultimate Texas Hold’em
While we’ve spoken about how to win at Texas Hold’em, it’s also knowing how to win while playing Ultimate Texas Hold’em as well.
Generally speaking, the ways that you win at Ultimate Texas Hold’em are quite similar to when you play the normal version of Texas Hold’em. But like we mentioned before, the main caveat is that you’re required to beat the dealer instead of other players.
With the above in mind, you will win at Ultimate Texas Hold’em if your hand is better than what the dealer has. The same cards with the highest value in Texas Hold’em are also of a high value when you play Ultimate Texas Hold’em.
How to Beat Ultimate Texas Hold’em: Is It Possible?
Casino games with a dealer can be notoriously difficult to win, and the house edge can put you at a disadvantage. And like other casino games, Ultimate Texas Hold’em also comes with a house edge. This is typically 2.18%, which is lower than some other table games. In addition to this house edge, you will need to deal with a 1.09% additional house edge for initial and ante bets.
But despite this, it is possible to win at Ultimate Texas Hold’em by beating the dealer’s hand.
How Are Ultimate Texas Hold’em and Texas Hold’em Different From Normal Poker?
We’ve discussed how Texas Hold’em and Ultimate Texas Hold’em are different from each other, but it’s also important to understand that the pair of them are not the same as ordinary poker. With this in mind, let’s look at the key differences between these two games and the ordinary version of poker.
The main difference between Texas Hold’em and ordinary poker is that you only get two initial cards; these are known as the hole. In the traditional version of poker, you receive four instead. However, these come from a deck of 52 cards in both scenarios – so these types of poker do still have some kind of similarity.
It is worth noting that poker is a broad term that covers multiple variations; Texas Hold’em and Ultimate Texas Hold’em are simply two equivalents of that.
Where Can You Play Texas Hold’em?
Texas Hold’em is pretty much legal in all of the same places that other versions of poker are, as it falls under the same category. If you’re planning a trip to Las Vegas, for example, you will find Texas Hold’em in many casinos throughout the Las Vegas Strip. Similarly, you shouldn’t find too many challenges when looking for a poker room in Atlantic City.
Elsewhere in the US, you can similarly play Texas Hold’em in many places where table casino games are legal. And in some states, you can also play online – though this isn’t as widespread as offline betting at the moment (that could change in the future, however!).
When playing Texas Hold’em online, you can easily sign up for an account and deposit once you’ve verified your identity. In many cases, you’ll play the game with a live dealer – which can give you a similar feeling of being present at a casino.
What Is the Age Limit for Playing Texas Hold’em?
In many parts of the US, you must be at least 21 years old to play Texas Hold’em. These include Nevada, New Jersey, and North Dakota.
There are, however, many places where the age limit is 18 instead. For example, Alaska has an 18-year-old age restriction for casinos – though you can only play poker offline as it’s not regulated in said state.
Other places where you can play Texas Hold’em at 18 in the US include:
- Minnesota
- Arizona (in some cases, though 21 is usually the requirement)
Texas Hold’em: A Complete Guide
Texas Hold’em is quite an easy game to understand, but you also need to do some prior research if you want to maximize your chances of winning. It will likely take you a few rounds to gain a full understanding of how the game works, and it’s also worth doing research on the best poker hands that you can try – as in some instances, you might not know what the best options are.
Hopefully, you’ll have better knowledge of Texas Hold’em after reading this complete guide. And on top of that, you’ll also know what the key differences are between Texas Hold’em and Ultimate Texas Hold’em.
