What is Texas Hold’em? What are its defining characteristics?

Defining characteristics of Texas Hold’em

Currently, Texas Hold’em is considered the most common and popular type of poker. Saying that the world has literally gone crazy over this game isn’t an exaggeration. It won over the hearts of tens of millions of people, and many of them made poker their job. At the largest Hold’em competitions, multimillion-dollar prize pools are played out with an army of fans following the events, dreaming of becoming a participant in such an event someday.

Such popularity of Hold’em, it would seem, only plays into the hands of gambling business operators. However, let’s not forget that in this type of poker, players are the opponents. A casino is only an intermediary who earns the commission charged from the bank. In addition, not all clients like to play against other users.

As a result, it became necessary for a casino to somehow adapt the rules of Texas Hold’em poker to turn it into a typical gambling game where the user’s opponent is a casino. This is how Casino Hold’em Poker was born.

Classic Hold’em Poker rules

In the original version of Texas Hold’em Poker for the casinos, the rules are as follows:

• A deck of 52 cards without jokers is used.
• Two types of bets are accepted: the main Ante and the additional AA (optional).
• The player and the dealer receive two cards each. The client sees only their own hand.
• Three open community cards are dealt to the centre of the table.
• The user either folds his cards, effectively losing the bet, or makes a Call bet equal to two Ante, which confirms the intention to play further.
• The dealer then deals with the fourth and fifth community cards.
• Five-card combinations of the participants of the drawing are formed from seven cards (five common and two private).
• Next, the dealer checks for a minimum hand (a pair of fours or better). If there’s no such card, the player is paid an Ante (1:1), and the second bet is returned.
• If the dealer qualifies, the dealer’s cards are compared with the customer’s hand. If the croupier wins, both bets of the user are lost. If the player wins, Ante is paid according to the coefficient of the received combination (they’re listed in a special table). The call is paid 1:1.

This concludes the game.

The optional AA bet is paid regardless of the main draw. The client gets a pay-out if the first five cards (two hole cards and three community cards) form a combination of a pair of Aces or higher. Winnings are also calculated by individual odds.

Naturally, developers of online games are rarely limited to the standard rules of casino Texas Hold’em and usually change them. The most interesting models of the largest companies are discussed below.

Texas Hold’em odds and strategy

Admittedly, it’s very difficult to develop a single strategy for playing Casino Hold’em Poker (like in blackjack or video poker, for example). Each draw involves seven cards, so it’s difficult to make a convenient and understandable table.
A variety of computer programs that easily help with this task come to the rescue. There are applications for mobile phones that have an intuitive interface, various modes, and numerous settings.
For the purposes of this article, we will use the most common statistics that the player reaches the end of the round in approximately 82% of all games when using the optimal strategy.
The mathematical superiority of the casino can be reduced to 2% – 2.5%.
Usually, making an AA bonus bet isn’t worth it, as it has a higher house edge.

Texas Hold’em in online casino

Let’s look at what well-known online casino software there is. We’ll start with models that have basic or close to basic rules, and then we will gradually move on to games with special characteristics.
Casino Hold’em – Playtech
The rules of this game are very close to the classic ones. The player makes an Ante bet, and then receives two cards. Three community cards are laid out on the table. Then you either fold or bet the amount of two Ante. The winner is also determined according to standard principles.
Let’s not dwell on the bonus rates in detail. It’s paid out for combinations in the first five cards. You can find the coefficients in the table.
Casino Hold’em – NetEnt
This model is also dominated by traditional rules. You place an Ante bet and, if desired, side AA. Then, you see two of your cards and three community cards. If you play further, you make a Call bet in the amount of two Ante.
Then, the dealer reveals the cards, checks if they qualify, and so on. Pay-outs are calculated based on combinations. The bonus bet is won if there’s a pair of Aces in the first five cards or a higher combination.
Casino Hold’em – GamesOS
Everything here corresponds with the above standards. First, an Ante bet is made and two hole cards with three community cards are dealt. If the player makes another bet in the amount of two Antes, the dealer lays out the remaining two cards and proceeds according to the usual pattern.
Bonus bets are also paid out if there are certain poker combinations in the first five cards (from two Aces to a Royal Flush).
Casino Hold’em – GameScale
Standard rules of classic casino Hold’em Poker, stylish design, user-friendly interface and realistic animation; this is a good description of an invention by a well-known company.
This model doesn’t have any original features, so we recommend it to those who are interested in the traditional varieties of the game.
TXS Hold’em Professional Series – NetEnt
The rules of this invention of a well-known brand are somewhat different from the classic casino Hold’em. However, they imitate the original Hold’em Poker quite successfully due to the system of raising rates at different stages implemented here.
The client bets an Ante and receives two cards. If they stay in the game and bet, the dealer deals three community cards, after which a decision on whether to increase the amount at stake or limit himself to a check (no raise) must be made. The same decisions are made on the fourth and fifth cards on the board. Bonus bets aren’t included here.
Triple Pocket Hold’em – Microgaming
This is a very unusual game. Its main feature is that the dealer plays two hands at once. The player must defeat both boxes of the croupier to win. As compensation for such unfair rules, the player gets the opportunity to give his cards to the dealer twice. In other words, you can use your hole cards yourself or force the croupier to play them.
There’s no trading circle here. Additional bets that confirm the intention to continue aren’t necessary. Pay-outs are calculated at odds from 1:1 to 50:1 depending on the combination.
Progressive Texas Hold’em Bonus – Felt
In addition to the Texas Hold’em model discussed above, Felt’s portfolio includes a progressive jackpot game. It also includes gameplay where you make bet decisions after each round. There are also bonus bets with pay-outs for poker combinations in the first five cards.
The progressive jackpot is played with a separate fixed bet for the one who collects a Royal Flush in five cards. Separate payments are made for combinations of three.
As you can see, there are plenty of varieties of Texas Hold’em in modern online casinos where the establishment is your opponent. You can easily find models with the standard rules of Casino Hold’em Poker, as well as augmented versions that successfully imitate the original Hold’em with several rounds of betting. Fans of unusual versions can have fun with the help of original types of poker, which there are also plenty of.