7 Reasons Texas Hold’em is Perfect for Beginners

When people ask me how to start gambling, I often tell them one thing: learn to play blackjack and Texas Hold’em. If you learn to play both of these games, you can have a long, entertaining career of gambling. Hold’em is one of the most popular varieties of poker and appeals to all types of gamblers.

Texas Hold’em provides new gamblers a comprehensive introduction to most facets of gambling. If you’ve never played poker in the past but want to start playing, Hold’em is the best starting point. Here are 7 reasons Texas Hold’em is the perfect game for beginners.

1 ‒ It’s Easy to Learn

Of all of the poker varieties, real money Texas Hold ’em is commonly regarded as the easiest to learn. The game involves forming the best combination of cards between the 2 cards you’re dealt and the 5 communal cards. If your hand is stronger than other players’ hands, you win. The game is more technical when it comes to betting and table position, but I’ll go over that in another post.

Like other types of poker games, Hold ’em is a combination of skill and luck. Even if you’re dealt terrible cards, it’s still possible to win if you’re skilled enough. Once you learn the basics of Texas Hold’em, it’s possible to improve quickly. Learning the game might be easy, but mastering it is impossible. If you’re serious about improving, you can become a quality player in a matter of months.

2 ‒ It’s One of the Most Popular Types of Poker

When deciding which type of poker to specialize in, it’s always a safe bet to pick the one you can play often. If you were to select an obscure and unpopular style, you would be hard-pressed to find a game. However, Texas Hold’em is the most popular type of poker in the United States.

Every reputable casino with a poker room hosts Hold’em tournaments. Even if you want to play casually, the chances of your social circle being familiar with Hold’em rules compared to other types is high. Hold’em is popular due to its simplicity, pace of play, and the poker boom in the 2000s.

Down the road, you might find that you prefer another type of poker. This isn’t abnormal and shouldn’t dissuade you from learning the game. Various kinds of poker are somewhat similar and share pieces of strategy and method of gameplay.

3 ‒ The Learning Process Never Stops

Tracking your improvement during your time gambling is incredibly gratifying. You’ll most likely start as a novice, committing careless mistakes and losing several games of poker. But, if you continue to improve your game and accumulate information, you’ll make rapid strides.

There is an abundance of information about how to play Texas Hold’em on the internet. Because it’s the most popular type of poker, there are countless blog posts, articles, and even books dedicated to Hold’em. Once the learning process starts, it never stops.

If you are a fan of the game, you might find that you enjoy being a student of the game as well. I never enjoyed doing homework, so I was shocked when I found myself going out of my way to read about Hold’em. The fastest way to improve is playing, but arming yourself with the best possible information is a close second.

4 ‒ It’s Entertaining

One of your primary reasons to gamble should be to have fun. Winning money is the ultimate goal, but you should enjoy the games you play. Texas Hold’em is an incredibly entertaining card game that any personality type should enjoy. There are worse ways to spend an evening than sitting around a table playing cards.

The game is a perfect combination of skill and luck like I said earlier. If you’re playing blackjack and get a bad hand, there’s nothing you can do about it. But, you could be dealt a 2 and a 7 in Hold’em and still walk away with money. Playing against other gamblers instead of the house tends to be more entertaining.

Even if you don’t want to start out playing at a casino, you can play at home. I suggest organizing a poker night with friends and family before you even consider playing for serious money. You’ll have more fun playing with people you know and whose company you enjoy. Also, you’ll learn the ins and outs of the game faster if you’re comfortable.

5 ‒ It’s Possible to Win Money

The likelihood of you learning how to play Texas Hold’em and immediately becoming a shark at the tables isn’t high. The best players in the world have been playing for years, and chances are most players are going to be better than you. But, as you continue to develop as a player, you’ll improve and increase your chances of winning.

Instead of stewing on losses, make sure you’re learning something new each game. Other players will be on the lookout for inexperienced players. Beginners tend to reveal too much as they play, so work on curating a style of play that works for you.

As a beginner, you must keep your expectations grounded. Your primary focus should be to enjoy yourself and eventually improve over time. Once you’ve established yourself as a quality player, you will start to notice that you’re consistently hanging around games longer. If you stick with it for enough time, that first win will make everything worth it, trust me.

6 ‒ Hold’em Teaches You to Manage Money

Every game of Texas Hold’em is a microcosm of the gambling world. Each player comes in with a stack of chips, their bankroll, and must choose when to use those chips. If players gamble foolishly, they can lose their bankroll in a matter of minutes. But, if they are strategic, they can increase their bankroll and eventually walk away victorious.

Learning how to manage your money while you gamble is the most critical key to success. Even if you’re a great gambler whose frugal 95% of the time, that remaining 5% can spell an end to your gambling career. Establishing good habits early on will help you improve as a gambler and ensure that you can gamble for longer.

When playing Hold’em, gamblers must decide when they should bet on a hand to play or when they should fold. You might feel tempted to play every hand when you first start but consider folding far more frequently than playing. It’s important not to be a pushover at the tables, but it’s also easy for better players to take advantage of your inexperience and take your chips.

7 ‒ You Can Play it Whenever You Want

Due to its overwhelming popularity, you can play Hold ’em whenever and wherever you want. If you’re going to play for money at home, several reputable online casinos are waiting for you. But, if you want to play without spending money, the internet is full of free Hold ’em games.

One of the fastest ways I improved at Hold’em was playing on the internet without any money on the line. It taught me how to play the game more effectively, and I figured out a strategy that works for me. Of course, there’s nothing quite like sitting around a table to play Hold ’em against real people, but online Hold’em is a nice substitute.

Instead of scrolling through social media in your free time, consider downloading an application on your phone. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll improve if you play the game more often. As I said earlier, some skills you cultivate playing online won’t translate to success at the table. Knowing how to play the game will make other players take you seriously instead of dismissing you as a novice.

Conclusion

Texas Hold’em is one of the best games for new gamblers to learn to play. The game’s relative simplicity, pace of play, and popularity make it a perfect match for beginners. While the game might be easy to learn, becoming a master at the Hold’em table is much more complicated.

If you find yourself enjoying the game after a few times playing, consider studying up on Hold’em in your free time. The best way to improve is to play as much as possible, but the knowledge you acquire will help you start winning. When you first start playing, you should focus on having fun and learning as much as possible. Eventually, you can begin to win, but always make sure you’re enjoying the game.