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Texas Hold’em is considered as the king of poker games because the game is simple and logical, but the strategy for the game is very deep. It only takes a few minutes to learn the basic rules of  Texas Hold’em Poker, but to truly master the game takes a lifetime. Many of the links on this site offer free hold ‘em poker online and other games as well, so you can practice and be on your way to becoming a pro.

After reading this article you will know everything you need to know to start playing the game, so lets get started.

Before we go any further lets cover some of the basic glossary poker terms.

• Blinds: Texas Hold’em uses a blinds system instead of antes to get each pot started with some money. The two players to the left of the dealer pay the small blind and big blind.Tthe position of the blinds moves around the table after each hand.
• Burn Card: This is the card that is dealt facedown before any card is dealt; like the flop, turn, and river.
• Check: This is similar to a call, but no money is bet. You check to see the next card if no money is bet.
• Preflop: Anything that occurs before the flop is dealt.
• Flop: The first three community cards that are dealt.
• Turn: The fourth community card dealt.
• River: The River is the final community card that is dealt.
• Showdown: When players reveal their hands to figure out the pot’s winner.

Texas Hold’em Rules

Texas Holdem is played on a single table with 2-10 players. The goal of the game is simple: win as many chips as you can, one pot at a time, until you have all the players’ chips. You win a pot by having the best possible hand out of all players, or by having all other players fold before you face a showdown.Texas Hold’em is classified as a community card game because some of the cards are dealt in the middle of the table which are shared and visible to all players. Each player receives two cards and then tries to make the best possible combination with any of the five community cards on the table so he can make best possible five card poker hand. Each player may use any combination of hole cards and board cards to make the best possible hand out of them. He can use one, two, or even none of the hole cards. In cases where the best possible hand is composed by the community cards, then the player can use none of his hole cards.

Blinds and Dealer

First, choose a dealer by having each player pick out a random face-down card out of the deck. Whoever gets the highest value card (Ace being the highest) will be the dealer.

There are two blinds in Texas Hold’em, a small blind and a big blind. The player directly to the left of the dealer puts out the small blind, then the player after him would be the big blind. As the dealer’s position moves each hand, the position of the blinds moves around the table as well. The blinds are sized so that the small blind is equal to half the big blind, which is the minimum bet. For example, the blinds should be $5.00/$10.00, in a $10/$20 Limit Hold’em game. After the blinds are set, the dealer should deal the cards to the left first until all players have to cards and the dealer being dealt the last card.

Preflop

In the Preflop there is a betting round which will  begin with the player to the left of the big blind. There are three options for the player: Call, Raise, or Fold.

• Fold: The Player throws away their hand and waits for the next deal to play.
• Call: They match the minimum amount, or the big blind.
• Raise: They raise the bet by doubling the amount of the big blind, or any amount in a No-Limit Hold’em game.

After that player acts, the action continues clockwise around the table. If anyone makes a raise, the other players at the table must at match the bet or fold. When the blind’s reach their turn to act, their forced blinds are considered bets. If there is no raise, the big blind may just check to stay in.

Flop

Now its time for the flop, or the first three community cards. First there is a burn card which is placed facedown on the table, and then the next three cards are shown to all players. Now there is another betting round, but this time it starts with the small blind, or the first player to the left of the dealer. This person may check, bet, or fold. Then the action continues to the other players until everybody acts.

Turn

One again, a card is dealt facedown (the burn card) and then one more card is dealt face up. Now, there is another round of betting just like the last round. The size of a bet for this round, and the final betting round, is doubled. If its a No-Limit Hold’em game, then the bet can be anything you would like.

River

After another burn card, one final card is dealt face up right next to the turn. Now there is a final betting round. If there is more than one player remaining after this round of betting, the play proceeds to a showdown to determine the pot winner.

Showdown

Any players still in the hand now reveal their cards. The player with the best five card poker hand, using any combination of hole cards and community cards, wins the pot. Here are some rules you need to know for the showdown:

• If no betting happened on the river, the player closest to the left of the dealer must open their hand first, and the action continues clockwise around the table.
• If a player has a losing hand, he can either reveal their cards or simply muck their hand.

Evaluating Hands

Here is a chart that will help you evaluate the strength of your cards and all the possible combinations in Texas Hold’em Poker.

Again, you can play free hold ‘em poker online now by clicking on any poker link on this site and you will also get a bonus.

Find the best poker sites for American players below. OnlinePokerSet.com has ranked the best poker rooms that accept US players on several factors including exclusive bonuses, software, freerolls, tournaments and more.
Enjoy your online poker experience by playing at the best US poker site. We provide the best sign-up bonuses available. Get free and instant access now to the poker site of your choice by clicking on a Play Now button below.

Rank	Online Poker Site	Rating	Bonus	Review	Play Now
1	Sportsbook Poker	9.0	125% up to $1,000	Sportsbook	Play Now
2	Full Tilt Poker	8.6	100% up to $600	Full Tilt Poker	Play Now
3	PokerStars	8.6	100% up to $600	PokerStars	Play Now
4	Ultimate Bet	8.3	111% up to $1,100	Ultimate Bet	Play Now
5	PlayersOnly	8.1	100% up to $500	PlayersOnly	Play Now
6	Absolute Poker	8.0	150% up to $600	Absolute Poker	Play Now
7	Bodog Poker	7.2	110% up to $1,100	Bodog Poker	Play Now

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), signed into law by President Bush in mid-October, 2006, makes it illegal for online gambling sites to accept funds or wagers from the United States if the gambling activity violates existing federal, state or tribal law. The law does not make the player liable in any way, but makes the site liable for accepting funds or wagers associated with illegal Internet gambling.

As an online poker player located in the United States, you are not violating the UIGEA or any other federal law, but you may be violating state or tribal law depending on the laws of the state or Native American Reservation where you are located. It is the player’s responsibility to determine the legality of playing online poker under the law where he is located.

PlayersOnly

Full Review

PlayersOnly Poker launched in 2006 on the Cake poker network. It has recently moved to the Merge network and joined a unique group of poker sites that accepts U.S. players and U.S. credit card deposits as well. The playing atmosphere at PlayersOnly is very loose and most of the players are very easy to beat, which means easy money for you. Although the poker site is new, it has grown very quickly to be a big competitor with some of the top rooms in online poker. There are many games offered at PlayersOnly, some of which are: Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Seven-Card Stud.

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Bonus (7)

All players who sign up through an OnlinePokerSet link will receive an exclusive $650 sign-up bonus at 125% match.

Bonus Clearing Process: The clearing process is very simple and easy. For each $1 raked in a ring game, a player earns one Frequent Player Point (FPP), and every FPP is worth 6¢ towards your bonus. When you earn $10 in bonus money, then the funds will be transfered to your PlayersOnly Poker balance. Note that you only have 90 days to earn the complete bonus, after the creation of your bonus account at PlayersOnly.

Promotions

PlayersOnly Poker offers a great loyalty program. It has to do with your FFP’s, along with “Gold Chips” and “Gold Cards”. To fill your “Gold Chip Meter”, you need to earn Frequent Player Points. You do this by playing in real-money games or by paying tournament fees. When your meter fills up, you will get a Gold Chip which you can spend in the Players Rewards store. There you can spend it on various things like: tickets to tournaments, media and DVDs, and more goodies. After you earn your first “Gold Chip”, it will require less FFP’s to earn the next one.

To earn a Gold Card, you would need to play at real-money games until you hit a certain amount. When you hit that amount at the table, the Gold Card will be randomly selected from a Vault and will be shown at the end of that hand. If you get lucky and the Gold Card matches one of your cards you will ultimately win that Gold Card. Once you’ve won a Gold Card, you have four ways to win with a daily lottery, weekly races, guaranteed cash prizes and a grand prize. Once you’ve won a Gold Card, you have four ways to win. They are a guaranteed cash prizes, daily lottery, weekly races and a grand prize.

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Software (9)

The PlayersOnly Poker software is very stable, smooth, and very fast as well. Some of the various functions include: table statistics, note taking during play, flop percentage, hands played per hour, and average pot sizes. The graphics are very impressive and make playing at PlayersOnly a pleasant experience for all poker players. Multi-tabling is very impressive at PlayersOnly, it allows up to 10 tables simultaneously and with the option to sit anywhere at the table. There are also many avatars to choose from. PlayersOnly software is definitely a big winner in the online poker industry.

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Support (9)

PlayersOnly Poker offers support through email, phone and live chat as well. Response time is prompt and answers are friendly and accurate.

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Deposit Withdrawal Options (8)

Deposit options: Visa, MasterCard and cash transfer.
Withdrawal options: Visa, MasterCard and check.

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Overall Review

PlayersOnly is highly recommended for its good bonus, excellent software, top-notch security standards and attractive tournaments. It has a strong commitment to providing an amazing online poker experience for all players.

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Final Result: We give Ultimate Bet a final overall score of 8.1 out of 10.

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Poker Stars

Full Review

PokerStars is the largest poker site in the world, it sets the standard in the online poker industry for the best selection of tournaments, sit-and-gos, and cash games at all stakes that can be played anytime, 24 hours a day. PokerStars represents between 25-45% of the total online poker business. The software is top-notch and it offers fast play, awesome multi-table options, high security, and endless customization options. It has a reliable security team, so you know you can trust them. Poker Stars allows players from all across the world, including the United States, to play with millions of other. Poker Stars is the home of many recent World Series of Poker Champions including Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg “Fossilman” Raymer (2004) and Joe Hachem (2005). The competition can sometimes be high, but that’s what makes poker so exciting. PokerStars is the best place to play online poker.

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Bonus (7)

All players who sign up through an OnlinePokerSet link will receive an exclusive $600 sign-up bonus at 100% match.

As of Aug 1, 2009, PokerStars will now offer up to $600 first-deposit bonus at 100% match for all new players.

Use the exclusive OnlinePokerSet bonus referral code: STARS600

Bonus Clearing Process: Your bonus will be given in $10 increments at a rate of 17 VPP per $1 of bonus. Players can make up to three deposits in total to claim the full bonus and they must be made within 60 days of the first deposit. After that, players will then have six months to earn the full bonus amount.

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Software (9)

The PokerStars software is one of the best in the business. It is stable, fast, reliable, very customizable, and it has a great feel to it. The software is continuously updated and improved to accommodate the constantly growing number of players. In 2007, PokerStars also released the Mac-compatible version of its incredible software, which allows Mac players to access their software directly rather than through a third-party Windows emulator. It was the first sites to offer fully re-sizable tables so you can take full advantage of multi-tabling. There are almost no glitches in the software and if one should come up, PokerStars outstanding customer support team will resolve it right away.  The only con is that the software graphics are a little low and they do not show avatars, but otherwise Poker Stars is one of the best software’s out there. Join PokerStars now by clicking the Download Button.

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Support (8)

Customer Support at PokerStars is very strong. There are many of email’s listed on the homepage which you can contact 24 hours a day and they will send back a response within 4 hours. However there is no 24/7 phone service.

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Deposit Withdrawal Options (9)

Deposit Options: Visa , MasterCard, eCheck, Neteller, Moneybookers, ClickandBuy, Solo/Maestro/Switch, cashier’s check, money order, bank draft, local bank transfer, ELV, online bank transfer, WebMoney, Paysafe card.
Withdrawal Options: Visa, Moneybookers, ClickandBuy, Neteller, WebMoney, check, direct bank transfer, couriered check.

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Overall Review

PokerStars is highly recommended for its great software, high security,  excellent supoort team, and good bonuses.

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Final Result: We give PokerStars a final overall score of 8.6 out of 10.

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Absolute Poker

Full Review

Absolute Poker was started in 1999 by a group of college friends. Since then, Absolute Poker has grown to become a cherished giant in the online poker community. Absolute Poker has recently merged with another giant, Ultimate Bet, and into the respected Cereus Poker Network. Now, Absolute Poker is amongst the most populated online poker sites available. Absolute Poker and UltimateBet remain open to US players. The motto of the Cereus Network is “Bigger. Badder. Better”, and this is undeniable as Absolute Poker has created an amazing online poker experience for all players. The various games offered at Absolute Poke include: Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud and Razz.

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Bonus (7)

All players who sign up through an OnlinePokerSet link will receive an exclusive $500 sign-up bonus at 150% match.

At Absolute Poker, bonus payout is very simple and easy. For every 16 Absolute points earned, a player will receive $1 of the bonus. The bonus is released in $5 increments.

Promotions

Absolute Poker has a great loyalty program called FAME . It is open to all players and has five levels: Diamond Elite, Platinum VIP, Gold, Silver and Bronze. You have to earn Status Points by playing real-money games, this will define your FAME level. You have to increase your FAME level to earn credit. Credit can then be exchanged for various things such as: cash, gas cards, gadgets, credit-only cash tournaments, and various merchandise in the Rewards Store. Keep in mind that the status points are reset every month.

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Software (8)

The lobby and tables at Absolute Poker are very simple and straight-forward. Although some might find the software rather plain looking compared to some of the other competing online poker sites, it is very solid. It features multi-tabling capabilities, hand history statistics, and a chat window. There is not much customization that can be done in this software though, but it keeps it very user-friendly. For a direct Absolute Poker download, click the download link below.

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Support (9)

Absolute Poker offers support only through e-mail, but the amazing speed, quality, and the helpful support staff make up for this.

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Deposit Withdrawal Options (8)

Deposit options: Visa, MasterCard, Click2Pay, ClickandBuy, FPS, MoneyBookers, PaysafeCard, Western Union, Neteller, ukash, U.K. Debit Cards, Bank Wire, Bank Draft, Cashier’s Checks and echecks.
Withdrawal options: Check, courier check, or the same method in which you deposited.

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Overall Review

Absolute Poker is one of the best online poker sites available and accepts US players as well. It features a powerful and secure software and a populated member base, all thanks to the Cereus Network. Players will find plenty of bonuses and promotions. Absolute Poker is a great online poker site that will bring you a memorable online poker experience.

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Final Result: We give Absolute Poker a final overall score of 8.0 out of 10.

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Full Tilt Poker

Full Review

Launched in 2004, Full Tilt Poker is currently one of the biggest and most famous poker sites online today. Full Tilt Poker has been in the online poker market for thirteen years and over that time has made a big impact on the online poker community while building a reputable brand for itself. Full Tilt Poker lets players “Learn, Chat and Play With The Pros.” Full Tilt Poker is the home to many pro players like Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Mike Matusow, Allen Cunningham, Phil Ivey, and Andy Bloch. Full Tilt accepts all American players, processes Visa and MasterCard deposits, and offers check withdrawals.

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Bonus (8)

All players who sign up through an OnlinePokerSet link will recieve an exclusive $600 sign-up bonus at 100% match.

Full Tilt Poker offers a 100% first deposit bonus up to $600 to all players who sign up through the links on this page and use promotion code POKERSET at sign up, this is a very good bonus. When you sign up, every dollar that you deposit (up to $600) is worth an additional dollar in bonus money. After you deposit, your amount will show in your “Cashier” account, and the bonus money will show in your “Pending Bonus” account. If you want to play with the bonus money, you have to “clear” the bonus to your Cashier. To clear the bonus you have to earn a certain amount of “Full Tilt Points” (FTPs).

Use the exclusive OnlinePokerSet bonus refferal code: POKERSET

Every Full Tilt Point is worth $0.06 towards clearing your bonus to your “Cahier” account  in increments of $20, or 10% of the initial deposit (whichever one is smaller). For example, if you deposit $500 and receive a $500 bonus, you will be receiving $20 increments of your bonus every time you earn 333.3 FTPs. You will have 120 days to clear your bonus money and after that any remaining bonus money will expire. The cashier is simple and easy to use, and “Cash outs” are fast, smooth, simple and efficient. So sign up for Full Tilt Poker and get the best Full Tilt first deposit bonus by clicking on the FullTiltPoker download link below.

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Software (9)

Full Tilt Poker’s software is one of the best in the industry. It has very good customization options, impressive graphics, fast and smooth game play, and high reliability. It offers all the major functions including hand histories, player notes, statistics and multi-table play, option to disable unwanted sounds and graphics, plus a number of other top-notch features that really enhance game play. Full Tilt Poker software also offers smooth multi-tabling up to 8 tables. It also offers players to use different avatars with different facial expressions to choose from during game play. This is an excellent software.

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Support (8)

Full Tilt Poker’s support response time is timely and efficient. Some support lag has been known to occur at times, due to the high demands of players or during a large software update.

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Deposit Withdrawal Options (9)

Deposit Options: Visa, MasterCard, eCheck, Neteller, InstaDebit, Moneybookers, ClickandBuy, EntroPay, Webmoney, Click2Pay and cash tranfers.

Withdrawal Options: Visa, Moneybookers, Click2Pay, ClickandBuy, InstaDebit and check.

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Overall FullTilt Review

Full Tilt Poker is highly recommended for its excellent software, generous bonuses, high security standards, and for the chance to play with poker royalty at the tables.

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Final Result: We give Full Tilt Poker Poker a final overall score of 8.6 out of 10.

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Ultimate Bet

Full Review

Originally known as Ultimate Bet (now called UB.com), is one of the world’s leading poker rooms to date. It had a massive merger with another big online poker site, Absolute Poker, and now UB.com forms one half of the huge Cereus Poker Network. This is the home of pros like Phil Hellmuth, Dave Ulliot, Annie Duke, Tiffany Michelle, and Antonio Esfandiari. UB.com has a very generous sign up bonus and a great loyalty system. Sign up to UB.com through OnlinePokerSet and you will receive an exclusive 200% up to $1,200 first deposit bonus.

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Bonus (7)

All players who sign up through an OnlinePokerSet link will receive an exclusive $1,100 sign-up bonus at 111% match.

Promotions

UltimateBet’s promotion program is called RAI$E and is one of the best in the online poker industry. As you progress in the RAI$E ladder, you will get advantages such as faster private tournament invites, fast points accumulation, and hard cash. You get enrolled into the program as soon as you make a deposit at UB.com. There are also an UltimatePoints Store and UltimateAuctions in which you can bid on various things like tournament entries, travel packages, and more goodies. RAI$E is definitely one of the top promotion programs in online poker.

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Software (9)

Ultimate Bet’s software is a big winner in the online gaming industry for its fast, attractive, secure, and functional software. The big update in the Cereus Network boosted Ultimate Bet’s software with more servers, which provides even smoother graphics and less malfunctions. Like many other online poker sites, Ultimate Bet has incorporated re-sizable and shrinkable tables. The latest version of the Ultimate Bet software supports limitless multi-table play which runs very smoothly. Join Ultimate Bet now by clicking the Download Button.

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Support (9)

Ultimate Bet offers support only through e-mail, but the amazing speed, quality, and the helpful support staff make up for this.

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Deposit Withdrawal Options (8)

Deposit options: Visa, MasterCard, Click2Pay, ClickandBuy, ukash, Moneybookers, bank wire, check by mail, Neteller, Paysafe card, and U.K. debit cards and e-checks.
Withdrawal options: Visa, MasterCard, Click2Pay, ClickandBuy, ukash, Moneybookers, bank wire, check by mail, Neteller, Paysafe card, and U.K. debit cards and e-checks.

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Overall Review

With strong US player traffic and a strong commitment to promotions, bonuses, and great software; Ultimate Bet with the Cereus Network are able to provide an amazing online poker experience for all players.

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Final Result: We give Ultimate Bet a final overall score of 8.3 out of 10.

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