Texas Holdem, unlike classical poker, is played with five communal cards which mean there are five cards in the game which are visible for all players. What is opens is a possibility of calculating winning odds by considering the number of players, the two cards in your hand and the open cards on the table.
The five cards are opened in 3 stages – In the first round of betting there are three cards and a certain amount of people playing. In the second round there are four open cards and the number of people still playing can be changed. In the last round there are five cards open and again, the number of players can be changed. In each step the odds calculation needs to be adjusted to the situation in hand.

There are varies calculating tools, some free and some not, some are available online and some requires downloading to your computer. If you’re a beginner in Texas Holdem put some time in trying to understand how to calculate odds. Even if you end up using auto calculating tools you will still have to understand what they mean.

With Texas Holdem you can basically say: Poker face is out, Mathematics is in.

If you are new to Texas Holdem follow these next paragraphs. By the end of this article you will know how to play Texas Holdem and you can start practicing our free no registry Texas Holdem games or go directly to one of our recommended online poker rooms where you can practice with free poker money or real money poker.

General Terms in Texas Holdem:

* Use these terms for understanding the following rules.
1. Small Blind
2. Big Blind
3. Communal cards
4. The flop
5. The turn
6. The River

Basic principles of Texas Holdem:

You start with 2 cards that are dealt to each player while facing down. While the cards are dealt the small blind places a starting bet. Usually a small and symbolic amount of money. After the small blind places his bet the big blind places his.
After all cards are dealt and bets were made by both blinds, the player to the left of the big blind is the first that is allowed to look at his 2 cards. This player has 3 choices – he can see the big blind and call, see the big blind and fold or see the big blind and raise. After that the round of betting continues like a regular poker game where you can call, raise or fold.
When the round of betting reaches the small blind there is the flop and then the small blind is starting the second round of betting. Then the there is the turn, and again the small blind starts a third round of betting and then there is the river, after which the small blind opens the fourth and last round of betting.
In Texas Holdem the hand is made by using the 2 cards that were first dealt to them and 3 out of the 5 communal cards on the table.
Because of the way Texas Holdem is played there is room for calculating winning odds, which makes the game a strategic game with less to put on luck and more to put on knowledge, judgment and probability. For information about Texas Holdem odds visit our Texas Holdem odds page.

Recommended online Texas Holdem schools:

Pacific Poker – They have an elaborated section of how to play poker in general and Texas Holdem specificly. They also explain about poker tournaments. Their instant play feature lets you play on any computer without having to download the game.
Party Poker – Their poker academy is a section that is dedicated for teaching poker and practicing the game. There are online lessons there and all the information you need in order to, not only learn how to play poker, but also learn how to win in poker.