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Home of the best No Limit Hold'em
The king of poker meets the best platform ever. Get the best of Texas Hold'em on Natural8!
There's a reason why Texas Hold'em is the most popular card game in the world. It takes a few minutes to learn, but years to master. The thrill, strategy and unpredictability keeps you coming back for more. So now you want to learn to play?
Well Natural8 is here to help. Below we've outlined how to play Texas Holdem poker online for beginners, giving you the basic information you need to get started. Soon, you'll be developing your own strategy and style of play.
Texas Hold'em Rules
Texas Hold'em is the most popular type of online poker in the world. It's played with a standard 52 card deck, and there can be between 2-10 players at a table (Note: At Natural8 the max number of players is 6).
To start with, the dealer gives everyone two hole cards. These are your own personal cards that no one else should see. This is followed by four betting rounds (which we'll outline below), resulting in five cards being dealt face up on the table that every player uses. These are called community cards. You must then use your hole cards and the community cards to make the best five-card hand possible.
Player A
Community Cards
Player B
No Limit
All Texas Hold'em poker games on Natural8 are ‘No Limit', which means there is no limit to the maximum a player can bet at once. Thus players can go “all-in” and bet all of their chips on their betting turn.
Positions
Big Blind
The player on the left of the small blind. The big blind is the same as the minimum bet size.
Small Blind
The player immediately left of the dealer has to post the small blind.
Dealer
Each hand has one designated dealer. The dealer position determines the small and big blind positions. The dealer button is passed clockwise after every hand.
The image shows the positions that you should know before playing online poker. The “Dealer” chip will move clockwise around the table after every hand.
Actions
In each round of betting, the player has the option to take one of the following actions:
Fold
The player feels they can't win the hand, so forfeits any chips they have in the pot. They give their hole cards back to the dealer without showing them to anyone else.
Check
If there is no new bet, the player can pass the bet to the next player without betting or folding. But if another player raises before the round of betting is complete, the player will then need to call, re-raise or fold.
Bet
The player bets a certain amount based on the strength of his cards (or they can bluff if they're feeling adventurous). The bet must be more than the Big Blind.
Call
If a bet has been made before it reaches the player, they can choose to call to match the bet. If they don't have enough to match the bet but still want to play, they can go “All-In”, but you can only win the amount of chips they have contributed to the pot.
Raise
The player can choose to bet more than the other bets that have been made so far. Bear in mind that it has to be at least double any previous bets made in that particular round.
All-in
The player can bet or raise their full stack (the total number of chips they possess), leaving nothing behind.
Betting Rounds
There are four betting rounds in Texas Hold'em.
Pre-Flop
Everybody gets their first two cards (Hole Cards)
This is the round of betting made when you receive your two hole cards and before any community cards are seen.
The Flop
3 Community (Everyone's) cards are dealt
Once the first three community cards are dealt there's a second round of betting. You combine your hole cards and these community cards to make the best hand possible.
The Turn
A 4th community card is dealt
A fourth card is dealt called “the turn” followed by another round of betting. The additional card can completely alter player's actions as their hands get stronger or weaker.
The River
A final 5th community card is dealt
A final fifth card is dealt and another round of betting commences. You now need to see what your strongest hand is, and figure out if your competition has a stronger hand, missed a card they were chasing or are bluffing to win the pot.
The Showdown
If there's 2 or more players left, the betting that continues is the showdown
If two or more players are left after the action ends on the river, you enter The Showdown. This is where the psychology of poker really takes place. You need to figure out if your opponent has a stronger hand or is just bluffing to take the pot. If the hand is a tie, the pot is split evenly.
No Limit Hold'em Table Information
| Stake | Table Name | Blinds | Buy-ins | Rake (%) | Rake Cap (2~3) | Rake Cap (4+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | NLH Diamond | $5 / $10 | $200 ~ $1,000 | 5% | $5 | $10 |
| NLH Platinum | $2 / $5 | $100 ~ $500 | 5% | $4 | $8 | |
| Middle | NLH Gold | $1 / $2 | $40 ~ $200 | 5% | $3 | $6 |
| NLH Silver | $0.5 / $1 | $20 ~ $100 | 5% | $2.50 | $5 | |
| NLH Bronze | $0.25 / $0.5 | $10 ~ $50 | 5% | $2 | $4 | |
| Low | NLH Purple | $0.1 / $0.25 | $5 ~ $25 | 5% | $1 | $2 |
| NLH Red | $0.05 / $0.1 | $2 ~ $10 | 5% | $0.50 | $1 | |
| NLH Blue | $0.02 / $0.05 | $1 ~ $5 | 5% | $0.25 | $0.50 | |
| NLH Yellow | $0.01 / $0.02 | $0.5 ~ $2 | 5% | $0.10 | $0.20 |
VIP Games
| Table Name | Blinds (Ante) | Buy-ins | Rake (%) | Rake Cap (2~3) | Rake Cap (4+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VH Deep | $25 / $50 | $2,500 ~ $10,000 | 5% | $12.50 | $25 |
| $50 / $100 | $5,000 ~ $20,000 | 5% | $17.50 | $35 | |
| $100 / $200 | $10,000 ~ $40,000 | 5% | $20 | $40 | |
| $200 / $400 | $20,000 ~ $80,000 | 5% | $25 | $50 | |
| VH Ante | $25 / $50 ($10) | $2,000 ~ $10,000 | 5% | $12.50 | $25 |
| $50 / $100 ($25) | $4,000 ~ $20,000 | 5% | $17.50 | $35 | |
| $100 / $200 ($50) | $8,000 ~ $40,000 | 5% | $20 | $40 | |
| $200 / $400 ($100) | $16,000 ~ $80,000 | 5% | $25 | $50 | |
| $500 / $1,000 ($200) | $100,000 ~ $200,000 | 5% | $40 | $80 | |
| VH Standard | $25 / $50 | $1,000 ~ $5,000 | 5% | $12.50 | $25 |
| $50 / $100 | $2,000 ~ $10,000 | 5% | $17.50 | $35 | |
| $100 / $200 | $4,000 ~ $20,000 | 5% | $20 | $40 | |
| $200 / $400 | $8,000 ~ $40,000 | 5% | $25 | $50 | |
| VH Straddle | $200 / $400 ($200) | $80,000 ~ $200,000 | 5% | $25 | $50 |
| $500 / $1,000 ($20) | $100,000 ~ $200,000 | 5% | $40 | $80 |
*For pots in the pre-flop, 3-bets pots preflop are raked. In a single raised pot preflop where everyone folds, there is no rake. All pots that see a flop are raked.
*All Hold'em tables are 6-max
