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What Makes a Good Texas Hold’em Site?

The best online Texas Hold’em sites offer you a wide range of tables with buy-ins that are suitable for recreational players as well as poker veterans and high rollers. This includes cash game tables, sit-and-go tournaments, MTT tournaments, and other popular formats of Texas Poker. 

But it’s not only the table selection that’s important. Other things to consider are the payment methods, how much rake the site is charging for playing and the quality of customer support and loyalty programs, as well as rakeback schemes. Of course, it is also vital that the site has a large enough player pool so there’s enough traffic to fill tables quickly. We factored all of those things into our picks for the best online Texas Hold’em sites for real money.

PokerStars

PokerStars is the largest poker site in the world. The offer is huge and they keep innovating with new fun additions. Here you can find the best online Texas Hold’em for real money. The range of cash games and tournaments is a priority for this online poker site and this is reflected in the enormous variety of tables. PokerStars is famous for Zoom Poker. The nice thing about this variation on a normal cash game is that you are moved to a different table with every fold. This means you don’t have to wait around when you are not involved in a hand and can get straight back into the action. You can play with a low buy-in at PokerStars, but you can also go here as a high roller.

Software & Support

You can play PokerStars on the go by downloading the app for your mobile or tablet. It is available for Android and for iOS. This app works great and is very fast. Most players prefer to play on a desktop PC, however. There you have the choice to download and install the PokerStars software or play directly via your browser. Without a doubt, PokerStars has one of the best Texas Hold’em apps on the market. 

One of the downsides is that you can only reach customer service via a contact form. However, most questions are answered quickly, and it usually doesn’t take longer than a couple of hours to receive a reply. The support is reliable, even though it is disappointing that the biggest poker site in the world doesn’t offer support via live chat. 

Payments & Bonuses

When you make a first deposit at PokerStars, you can get up to €600 in bonus money. You claim this bonus in several installments which makes it flexible. Alternatively, players can take advantage of a €30 bonus that only requires a deposit of €20 to unlock. This offer is especially great for new players and low rollers. In addition to the welcome bonus, PokerStars regularly offers reload bonuses and other promotions. For example, a bonus can sometimes be randomly won while playing cash games. 

The site’s reward system was overhauled a couple of years ago. It is now better suited for recreational players. You can collect Stars Points while playing, which can be traded in for random prices. The system can be compared to loot boxes from mobile games and other video games. At the same time, the PokerStars rakeback was considerably lowered. This has some upsides as well as downsides. It attracts more recreational players which means that the games are softer. However, professional players are missing out on additional rewards.

888 Poker

888 Poker was founded in 2002. It is certainly not the largest poker room available online. Yet, the online poker site can still compete with the big boys. The big advantage of 888 Poker is the fact that it is a gambling website. As such, there are not only poker rooms but also other casino games. As a result, there will be a lot of gamblers wandering around 888 Poker, which can work to the advantage of the seasoned poker players.

Game selection & Bonus

The site has a wide range of poker games. The most played variant, Texas Hold'em, can be played in the No Limit, Pot Limit, and Limit variant. Furthermore, Omaha Poker is represented in the following variants: Pot Limit, Omaha High, Pot Limit High / Low, and Omaha High / Low. The cash games at 888 Poker start with blinds of €0.01/€0.02 and can go up to blinds of €100/€200. Regardless of your budget, you can always find a table that suits your needs.

In itself, there is a reasonable range of tournaments to be found. However, the most seasoned tournament players will not get excited about it as it can’t stack up against PokerStars. A benefit is that the level of play is relatively low. So, good play can put you in a fantastic position to win some money. There is also no rakeback, so real tournament players are more likely to choose a different poker room.

One of the best things about the 888 Poker website is that new players can benefit from a free €88 poker bonus without a deposit. There are also many additional offers available if you plan to deposit real money. The 888 Poker Club has lucrative rewards for loyal players too. 

Software & Support

The 888 Poker software is very good. It comes with a nice filter system and playing is easy. You can easily play multiple poker tables at the same time. It is even possible to play other 888 casino games while you are making your Texas Hold’em bets. The brand also offers a real money Texas Hold’em app for your smartphone.

Customer support is unfortunately only available through a contact form, but 888 Poker is usually really quick with its replies. The site also has a great FAQ section that covers nearly all topics.

PartyPoker

PartyPoker is one of the most famous online poker rooms hosting the PartyPoker Million. This online poker giant also sponsors the World Poker Tour. For a long time, PartyPoker was the ultimate number one in real money online poker. But, a change in US law meant that the poker room was no longer allowed to accept US players. Because of this change, PartyPoker lost its number one position to PokerStars.

Game selection

The site has a wide range of poker variations. The standard games can all be found on this website: Texas Hold'Em, Omaha, Stud, and Hi / Lo. The limits start at €0.02 /€0.04 and go up to €250 /€500. You can choose between No Limit and Limit Texas Poker. So, you can play different variations of the game, depending on whether you are a beginner or an experienced player. PartyPoker has also added a new and unique feature: Fast Forward Poker. When you are no longer in a hand, you will automatically be forwarded to a new table where you can start over again immediately. Therefore, you can constantly play poker with no breaks.

In terms of tournaments, you can indulge yourself at PartyPoker. Big tournaments with a guaranteed prize pool can be played weekly and sometimes even daily. The guaranteed 250K tournament takes place every Sunday, while the monthly Million is played once a month.

Software & Support

In 2008, PartyPoker launched a new website, which has improved a lot since then. But a big step forward was the new software that was introduced in 2013 after the merger with bwin. The poker software is extensive and dynamic. You can choose a layout yourself and adjust it to your own personal preference. Furthermore, you can easily play several tables or tournaments next to each other. The online poker brand also provides a great mobile experience.

You can undoubtedly play safely on this platform, so in that respect, you have come to the right place. On top of that, the site provides great customer support, lucrative bonus offers, and charges a relatively low amount of rake compared to PokerStars. 

Best Online Texas Hold’em For Real Money - Conclusion

There are plenty of great Texas Hold’em games and websites for real money out there. The above-mentioned sites are definitely the best online Texas Hold’em for real money options. All of them are trustworthy and have been staples in the world of online poker for many years. There are also new real money Texas Hold’em sites with interesting features and good quality games that you can give a try. Some honorable mentions are GGPoker, Ladbrokes, Unibet, and bet365. If you need some strategy advice to set you up for a good start on your new poker adventure, we recommend checking out our “Winning Hands in Texas Hold’em” strategy guide. Good luck at the tables!

Andreas Schmidt
Andreas Schmidt
Last Update: 26 May 2023
Andreas is our go-to guy for anything related to poker or in-depth guides. He's not only a former professional poker player, but he's also been working within the iGaming industry itself since 2014. Casino, Poker and Sports Betting are his main areas of expertise, in addition to anything and everything related to payment processes at online casinos.