Playing poker is, by its very nature, a social activity – for many, the idea of a single-player version of the game probably feels almost nonsensical. That wasn’t enough to stop table game designers from trying it, however, eventually leading to the creation of several variants being launched in casinos during the decade starting around 1995. This particular version of Texas Hold’em is produced by BGaming, and it’s one of the simplest that I have spotted among the libraries of today’s online casinos. Whilst slots are undoubtedly much more popular with the majority of players, it is table games such as this which offer by far the greatest value for money; Texas Hold’em has a Return to Player percentage of 98.75%.
The game utilises a single 52-card deck, with each round consisting of the same three rounds as the traditional multiplayer version of the game. The rounds begin with an ante bet, after which you will be dealt an initial hand of two cards. After you receive those cards, you’ll be allowed to cut your losses by folding; alternatively, if you like the look of your cards, you can opt to continue playing by making additional wagers. Once all five ‘community cards have been dealt, the dealer’s hand is compared with your own to determine the winner of that round. If you should be victorious, you’ll be paid at 1:1 regardless of your final hand – it doesn’t matter if it’s a Royal Flush or Jack High!
I suspect some players will be discouraged by the simplistic nature of Texas Hold’em, but it’s still an entertaining poker-themed table game that should keep you entertained for an hour or so each time you fire it up. Check it out for yourself with our free demo of Texas Hold’em – available to play below:
| Provider | BGaming |
| Reels | 0 |
| Rows | 0 |
| Bonus Rounds | 0 |
| Bet Range | 0.1 - 100 |
| Volatility | High |
| Max Win | 1x |
| Bonus Buy | No |
| RTP | 98.75% |
| Our Rating | 6.5 |
Texas Hold’em Casino Bonuses
Texas Hold’em Demo Slot
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Texas Hold’em Graphics & Features
Card games such as Blackjack are hugely popular on the casino floor and are responsible for an enormous chunk of the revenues they collect each year. It’s, therefore, not all that surprising to hear that casinos are always interested in trying out new table games when they are invented – provided that the game has already proven popular with another casino, that is! In reality, very few new table games have found a spot on the casino floor for more than a century. Of those who have managed to break through and gain long-term interest from gamblers, the overwhelming majority are heavily influenced by other games, such as Poker.
I’ve spotted about half a dozen variants of this particular Texas Hold’em table game at my favourite online casinos, most of which are the work of smaller software houses rather than the industry’s ‘big boys’. The more prominent developers seem to have primarily focused on an alternative Hold’em inspired game that is frequently referred to as Casino Hold’em; the two games are relatively similar overall, although Casino Hold’em has the definite advantage of a varied paytable with bigger prizes paid for hitting valuable poker hands such as a Straight or Flush. That one change alone makes Casino Hold’em feel much more authentic to experienced poker players, and there isn’t even a penalty for this in terms of the game’s RTP.
Don’t expect much in terms of user-selectable settings from Texas Hold’em – the menu has options for enabling and disabling the music, voices, and sound effects, but not much else. Interestingly, there is an option to prove the fairness of the current round using a hash value and client seed – you’ll need a little technical knowledge to make use of this feature (which was borrowed directly from Bitcoin-based online casinos, interestingly enough!). However, it’s still nice to have.
How To Play Texas Hold’em
I gave a brief summary of the order of play during the opening paragraphs – be sure to give that a quick read before moving on to this section if you skipped it the first time around. Each round begins by placing an ante bet, after which you will be dealt an initial two card hand. If you don’t like the look of those cards, you can opt to end the hand immediately by folding – if you wish to continue, you’ll need to make a raise of double the amount of your ante bet.
Next, three community cards will be dealt face up in the middle of the table. As with traditional Texas Hold’em, these cards can be used by both you and the dealer to help you make the best possible five-card poker hand. The first three cards are known as the ‘flop’ – after seeing them, you either check (continue without betting) or make a further bet equal to your ante bet.
There are two further betting stages, each accompanied by an additional community card known as the ‘turn’ and ‘river’. Once all the cards are on the table, the game will automatically compare your hand with the dealer to determine the winner of the current round. A draw is possible, although quite unlikely; in most cases, you’ll be paid even money (minus a 10% commission) or nothing should you lose.
Staking Options
Betting options available in Texas Hold’em are relatively limited – you place your bets using one or more chips, with minimum/maximum limits of £1.00 and £100.00, respectively. Should you bet £1 initially, you’ll have to post a minimum of £3 to continue to the end of that round. If you want to place a bet at every possible stage, that increases further to a maximum of £5 – quite a sum considering that the maximum you can win is just £9, including the return of your stake.
Pros
- Love poker and also enjoy playing casino table games? This game makes for a perfect blend of both!
- Simple format and payouts mean you don’t need to be a poker pro to enjoy playing this.
- Probably a fair game engine.
Cons
- All hands return even money – minus commission – even a royal flush!
- No fast play mode or other user-selectable settings.
- Experienced poker players will likely find this game far too simplistic and basic to be of interest.
Final Thoughts
I’ve spent countless hours playing Texas Hold’em in person and on the web, so I’m the perfect target for a poker-inspired table game such as this one. But, unfortunately, it isn’t really something that I would choose to bother with when playing for real money – I’d much rather play a proper game of Hold’em or even the more advanced Casino Hold’em than this.
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