WHERE TO PLAY TEXAS HOLDEM

Out of all the places to play Texas Holdem, online is certainly the most convenient and comfortable. It’s the best way for new players to learn the game: most sites have free tables and it can not be stressed more that beginners should start off playing on these tables before spending their hard-earned money on real tables. Don’t pay to learn when you can do it for free! A huge component of poker is to minimize your losses and jumping on the real money tables when you’re first learning is one of the worst things you can do to your bankroll.

In addition to the satellite tournaments mentioned above, there are other types of online tournaments you can enter – read our page about online poker tournaments for a description of the various types and formats you can play. PokerStars.com is an excellent site for tournaments: they have freerolls, qualifiers, single and multi table, rebuy tournaments, and if you’re serious about getting to Las Vegas on someone else’s dime, they have satellite tournaments with a prize pool in the thousands of dollars. They also have lucrative bonuses when you sign up and deposit money (great way to increase your bankroll), so if you haven’t played there before, you should definitely check them out.

The section above titled "Best Online Texas Holdem Rooms" provides links and further information on all of the very best online poker websites.

ONLINE TEXAS HOLDEM

The World Series of Poker is one of the most prestigious contests in poker, and in 2003, the winner of its Main Event, Chris Moneymaker, proved how effective online poker can be: Moneymaker is an online player. He entered online satellites tournaments in order to win the $10,000 buy-in and a seat at the Main Event. And where does this player hone his skills online? Like so many other WSOP and WPT bracelet owners: PokerStars.com.

It’s the world’s biggest online poker room with free and real money tables spreading all sorts of limits and various poker games. In addition to Texas Holdem, their cardrooms have tables playing Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, 2-7 Triple Draw, Razz and H.O.R.S.E. PokerStars.com also has tournaments of every kind, including freeroll tournaments (yes, they’re free – no buy-in required!) and Micro-Limit tournaments (the limits are only $0.02-$0.04), which is a great way for players new to tournaments to gain experience without risking too much of their own money.

Many players like to start by entering freeroll tournaments, because even though you don’t have to pay a buy-in, they do have cash prizes, which now provides you with real money to enter non-freeroll tournaments. This is the best way to start playing tournaments because you don’t risk any of your money! PokerStars.com hosts freeroll tournaments multiple times daily.

The other nice feature about PokerStars.com is that it offers emails to be sent in the language of your choice – it’s nice that a site recognizes that poker is an international game. Additionally, PokerStars.com puts on satellite tournaments to qualify for tournaments that take place all over the world! This includes the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, the European Poker Tour, the World Series of Poker and the Asia-Pacific Poker Tour, to name a few.

So before you head out to any of the casinos listed below, make sure you get lots of experience online so you don’t get fleeced at the table!

LAND BASED TEXAS HOLDEM ROOM

Las Vegas, Nevada is undeniably the world’s casino Mecca. Flight and hotel packages from North American cities to Las Vegas are inexpensive and the food is cheap. As long as you’re gambling, most casinos serve free alcohol in their cardrooms. If you want to play Texas Holdem in a land based setting, Las Vegas is a destination and experience you should not miss out on. If you plan on going, have a look at the casino profiles below.

Las Vegas is also home to the WPT and WSOP’s Main Event, among other tournaments. Many online poker sites offer satellite tournaments where you can win the buy-in money for major Las Vegas tournaments. If a Las Vegas tournament’s buy-in is $10,000, some online poker rooms will offer a satellite tournament with a $1000 buy-in + entry fee and have ten seats only at the table; the casino keeps the entry fee and gives the winner $10,000 to cover the cost of the Las Vegas tournament buy-in. There are even satellite tournaments to win the money to enter more expensive satellite tournaments. This is how Chris Moneymaker made his way to the WSOP World Championship in 2003: he won two satellite tournaments online to win the money for the WSOP buy-in. As mentioned above, Moneymaker’s online site of preference is PokerStars.com, whose company slogan is ‘Practice Makes Champions.’

NORTH AMERICA

Las Vegas

BELLAGIO LAS VEGAS

The Bellagio is arguably the best place to play Texas Holdem in Las Vegas, as evidenced by a steady stream of famous poker players (such as Daniel Negreanu and Jen Harman) who grace their tables. Everything about The Bellagio is high quality, from the staff right down to the chairs. It is non-smoking, has thirty tables and is open twenty-four hours a day. They have both Limit and No-Limit poker, with the cheapest stakes starting at $4-$8 to play Texas Holdem. The majority of the tables play Texas Holdem, and they have a few that play Seven-Card Stud and Omaha. Excellent atmosphere!

CAESARS PALACE

Caesars opened their newly renovated poker room on Christmas Day in 2005, and at 14,500 square feet, it’s the biggest poker room in Las Vegas. They spread 63 tables (30 tables in the main room and 33 specifically for tournaments), with most playing Limit and No-Limit Texas Holdem. Limit Holdem tables start as low as $1-$2, which is great for beginner poker players. One interesting feature about Caesars is that if you have enough people to fill a table, they’ll spread your choice of game and level. If you’re a poker history buff, be sure to play a few hands at Caesars (and Binion’s – the birthplace of the WSOP)!

MGM GRAND

MGM Grand is great for the plethora of drunken tourists who play their tables – they’re usually pretty easy to beat! They offer a non-smoking environment with 22 tables available twenty-four hours a day, along with food, drink and massage service right at the table! They have daily daytime tournaments from Monday to Friday at 11:05am with a $65 buy-in for $2000 in chips (no rebuys), and evening tournaments from Sunday to Thursday with a $125 buy-in for $3000 in chips (again, no rebuys). The room is modern, clean and comfortable.

THE VENETIAN RESORT-HOTEL-CASINO

At 11,000 square feet, The Venetian has one of the biggest poker rooms in Las Vegas. Exquisitely decorated in rich leather and wood in soothing earth tones and utilizing the latest technology, you’re sure to have a regal and luxurious gambling experience. They have 39 tables that play Texas Holdem with limits starting at $4-$8. The room is non-smoking with food service available, and they have complimentary valet parking.

THE MIRAGE

The Mirage is an entertaining and lively poker room with fun players. While it’s non-smoking, the rest of the casino isn’t, so the tables on the edge of the room reek of second-hand smoke. That aside, it’s a great place to play Texas Holdem with Limit games starting at $3-$6 and No-Limit at $1-$2. They host No-Limit tournaments Monday to Thursday starting at 7pm with a $230 buy-in. Sunday’s tournament starts at 5pm with a $430 buy-in. Additionally, they have daily Sit & Go tournaments that start when a table fills from $70 to $170.

THE WYNN

The Wynn is one of the newest poker rooms in Las Vegas and rivals The Bellagio in luxury (it’s the only hotel in Las Vegas to have earned an AAA 5-Diamond rating and a Mobile 5-Star rating). It has a fantastic atmosphere and they will spread any game as long as you can fill a table. It’s non-smoking and they have 26 tables that mostly spread Texas Holdem. They use automatic shufflers and an electronic queue system, so when you get there, go directly to the front desk and add your name to the list. When a seat is available, they will call your name and direct you to your seat. If you’re a guest of the hotel, you can add your name to the queue and watch the list from an in-room poker channel right from your room! Limit games start at $4-$8 and No-Limit from $1-$3 with a $100 buy-in.

Reno & Lake Tahoe

PEPPERMILL RENO HOTEL CASINO

The Peppermill offers more tournaments in Reno than any other resort and has a famous ‘Bad Beat’ tournament that can get into the six figures! It’s a favorite with locals and tourists alike and is consistently ranked among the top ten casinos in North America. It’s no surprise, then, that it wins more awards than all the other Reno casinos (including ‘Best Place to Gamble’ and ‘Best Poker Room’). With exceedingly friendly staff and a lively, smoke-free poker room, definitely add this to your list if you’re visiting Reno. The poker cardroom opens at 9am and has 12 tables.

SILVER LEGACY

Another non-smoking venue in Reno, the Silver Legacy is also a local favorite. The poker room opens at 10am and has 8 tables.

HARVEY’S LAKE TAHOE

Harvey’s opened in 1944 and has grown considerably since then: it has the biggest poker room on Lake Tahoe with 21 tables. Poker room opens at 9am. They have daily poker tournaments in the casino’s Live Poker Pit in the mornings from Monday to Friday with a $40 buy-in (no rebuy). On Tuesday nights, they have a $70 buy-in (no rebuy) No-Limit Texas Holdem tournament, and Thursday nights with a $35 buy-in and $20 rebuy for the first three rounds. The casino is non-smoking.

If you’re interested in sports betting as well, you should definitely check this casino out! They won ‘Best Sports Book’ consecutively for the past eight years and have opened an all-new, state-of-the-art Race and Sports Book with 76 television screens and private betting booths. You can bet on basketball, baseball, hockey, football, NASCAR, and horse racing. They have the highest sports limits in northern Nevada

Atlantic City

THE TROPICANA ATLANTIC CITY CASINO AND RESORT

The Tropicana is arguably the best place to play Texas Holdem in Atlantic City and has 48 tables playing a wide range of games and limits. When you get there, go to the front desk and add your name to the list (put yourself down for a few tables as some finish faster than others). They’ll add your name to a whiteboard, which they broadcast on televisions scattered throughout the casino, so you can leave the poker room area and play other games while you’re waiting. This is a great feature!

It’s a good idea to sign up for ‘The Trop Poker Club’ – it gives you the chance to earn points (up to $2/hr) that you can use toward your room bill or to purchase event tickets or items at the Quarter & Tropicana’s Market Place. The Trop (its nickname) was awarded ‘Luckiest Casino’ by Casino Player Magazine five years in a row.

TRUMP TAJ MAHAL

Donald Trump’s big, purple casino houses the biggest poker room in Atlantic City. They have over 100 tables with every kind of poker game and limit being played, with Limit and No-Limit games starting at $1-$2. They have daily tournaments – go to the back of the room to sign up. Phil Ivey and Cyndy Violette started their careers here. It’s the casino featured in the film Rounders. If you like big rooms with lots of people, or if you want to take some money out of ‘The Donald’s’ pocket, then this is the place for you!

THE BORGATA

The Borgata opened their brand new poker cardroom in 2006 and has much more of a Vegas vibe than the Taj Mahal. It’s easily the classiest poker cardroom in Atlantic City and is modern and luxurious. The majority of the tables play Texas Holdem with limits starting at $2-$4 for Limit poker and $1-$2 for No-Limit. The staff is courteous and professional, and all of the tables use automatic card shufflers. They have daily Sit & Go tournaments along with other daily tournaments – this casino is not to be missed!

Vancouver, BC, Canada

RIVER ROCK CASINO RESORT

The River Rock is actually located in Richmond, BC, which is directly south of Vancouver and a short twenty minute drive from downtown Vancouver. While there are other casinos in Vancouver, this one’s atmosphere is far superior and feels most like you’ve left the city for a Las Vegas vacation. There is a separate poker cardroom upstairs set in an intimate, non-smoking environment with 25 tables, making it the biggest in Canada.

ASIA & AUSTRALIA

Alice Springs, NT, Australia

LASSETER HOTEL CASINO

If your find yourself in the Australian Outback, know that you’re not too far from a game of poker: Lasseter Hotel Casino in Alice Springs spreads $2.50-$5 Texas Holdem daily. It’s popular with the locals as well as the tourists. It opened in 1981.

Melbourne, Australia

CROWN CASINO

Crown Casino is home to the Australian Poker Championship, or the Aussie Millions as it is also called. It is the most popular poker event in Australia and has the biggest prize pool – in 2007, it was more than $7,400,000 Australian dollars!

Crown has been playing all sorts of poker games since it opened in 1994, but with the recent surge in the number of poker players, a few years ago they converted an underground parking lot into the biggest cardroom in the Southern Hemisphere. The décor and lighting are welcoming and comfortable – the perfect environment to sit down for a few hours of play. And thankfully they didn’t stuff as many tables into the room as they could; they did an outstanding job fitting fifty-five tables in there without making it feel cramped. The staff is courteous and the dealers are very experienced and professional.

Crown is open twenty-four hours a day, but is closed from 4am to noon on Christmas Day, Good Friday and Anzac Day.

Sydney, Australia

STAR CITY CASINO

Facing Darling Harbour, Star City Casino is a complex consisting of two theatres, a hotel, and numerous bars, nightclubs and restaurants. This makes for a great destination for a night out with friends – especially since Sydney’s Metro Light Rail’s Star City stop is located on the ground floor of the casino building, so feel free to have a few cocktails at the table! They currently have 14 poker tables, but that number is sure to rise as the casino has been adding tables as its popularity increases.

Canberra, Australia

CASINO CANBERRA

Casino Canberra is located within an entertainment complex in Glebe Park, Canberra, which also includes a theatre, convention centre and a hotel. This is Canberra’s only casino and it offers a wide range of games (but not slot machines or video poker). They renovated in 2001 and they now have 39 tables and a separate Poker Lounge; the new design looks similar to the interior of a European casino. They hold regular tournaments, but you have to sign up to be a club member (which is free for locals). The table minimums start at only $2. 

Perth, Australia

THE CASINO AT BURSWOOD ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX

The Burswood Entertainment Complex houses Perth’s only casino, seven restaurants, eight bars and a nightclub, and leisure facilities that include an indoor and outdoor pool, a world-class golf course, a day spa, the Burswood Theatre, the Burswood Dome, and two hotels to choose from (the Intercontinental Perth Burswood or the Holiday Inn Burswood). The décor is modern and the casino is one of the most luxurious places to gamble in Australia. In 2006, they opened The Pearl Room, a VIP room for high rollers, and in 2007, they débuted The Riviera Room, which is open to the public and offers high-stakes games. The casino’s open twenty-four hours a day.

Macau, China

It should be noted that Texas Holdem is not yet popular in China or Macau (baccarat is the preferred game). But No-Limit Texas Holdem tournaments have been held in Macau and there have been plans to broadcast the WPT throughout China, so it is possible it will become more popular in the future. However, for now, it’s not frequently played in most of the Macau casinos listed here.

SANDS HOTEL MACAU

When they opened their doors in 2004, the Sands Hotel Macau was the first Western-operated hotel and casino in Macau. And it could boast it had the biggest casino in the world at 163,000 square feet with 800 tables playing all sorts of games (until the Sands Venetian Macau opened in 2007). It’s situated on six acres with beautifully landscaped gardens adjacent to the ocean, and has many bars, restaurants and an entertainment complex.

THE SANDS VENETIAN MACAU

At a cost of over $2 billion to build, it is no surprise that the Venetian houses the biggest casino in the world (555,000 square feet). It’s also the biggest building complex in Asia, and the second-biggest in the world. As the name suggests, it is a replica of Renaissance-era Venice, complete with breathtaking artwork and gondolas (including historical-accuracy-be-damned Chinese sampans) cruising its indoor canals. It will be opening a huge shopping mall in the future, which is going to be the biggest one on Hong Kong, so you won’t have far to go to spend your gambling winnings!

THE WYNN MACAU

Like all the other casinos listed here, the Wynn Macau’s casino is an excellent choice if you want to play Texas Holdem.  It is part of a big entertainment complex that has a luxury hotel, many restaurants and bars, a 100,000 square foot casino, and a performance lake. It’s not as big as the two Sands properties, but the Wynn Macao is expanding the hotel and casino, with construction expected to be completed in 2010. Its design is sleek and sophisticated – high fashion does the casino.

EUROPE

Nice, France

LYON VERT CASINO

The Lyon Vert Casino is the biggest casino in France. They just recently opened five tables where you can play No-Limit Texas Holdem.

PALAIS DE LA MEDITERRANÉE

Newly renovated in 2004 to its former Art Deco-glamorous self, the Palais de la Mediterranée is located on the ritzy Promenade des Anglais, right across from the beach overlooking the azure Mediterranean Sea. The atmosphere in the casino is lively and not to be missed if you’re in Nice.

Paris, France

AVIATION CLUB DE FRANCE

The Aviation Club de France was started by a group of French pilots in 1907. It’s still around today and more popular then ever before! It’s located in Paris on the beautiful avenue des Champs d’Elysées. Texas Holdem is spread here, and they host twice-daily No-Limit Texas Holdem tournaments and special tournaments throughout the year, many of which attract celebrities and poker pros from around the world.

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Monaco is divided into four quarters, with only one where gambling is legal: Monte Carlo. Its casinos have been featured in James Bond movies, including GoldenEye and Casino Royale.

THE CASINO DE MONTE CARLO (LES CASINOS DE MONTE-CARLO) AND SUN CASINO

Even people who don’t gamble make a point to visit this gorgeous casino for its exquisite and grand architecture. With a view overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean Sea and a décor that includes beautiful frescoes on the walls, marble arches, crystal chandeliers and luxurious, gilded fabrics, the casino is absolutely breathtaking. It was designed by Charles Garnier in 1878, the same architect responsible for the Paris Opera House. (The Monte Carlo Casino’s building also houses the Monte Carlo Opera.)

The casino is opulent and glamorous, and as such, its patrons must abide by a dress code (jacket and tie for men), especially for use of their private gaming suites.  

Texas Holdem is not a popular game in Monte Carlo, although the Sun Casino has offered what they call ‘Ultimate Texas Holdem,’ where you play Texas Holdem against the dealer and not other players. With time, perhaps Texas Holdem will become a regular game.

TEXAS HOLDEM HOME GAMES

Get a group of friends together and host a poker night right in your own home! Check out our article on hosting a poker night for tips on having a fun and fulfilling night. Regular home games are great for people who play Texas Holdem mostly online and who are interested in playing in casinos as this gives them a chance to read people live. If you’ve been invited to a home game and haven’t played before, or you do have experience and would like to improve your skills, sign up at an online poker site and practice as much as you can. Award-winning PokerStars.com is one of the biggest sites in the world and it’s where so many WSOP and WPT World Champions play Texas Holdem online.

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