You play only against the dealer, and the dealer never folds. The Flop, Turn, and River bets all pay even money whenever you beat the dealer, so each one is simply a bet on winning the hand. The Ante is different: on a win it only pays when you hold a straight or better, and otherwise it just pushes. Because the dealer acts blind to your cards, you have an information edge on every street. The whole strategy is built on that: put money in when you are ahead, hold it back when you are behind. The pre-flop decision matters most, because folding throws the hand away for one unit, so you only fold the five worst starting hands and play everything else.
Make the Flop bet, which is twice your ante, with every starting hand except five. Fold only these, and play everything else:
| Fold (Vegas) | Unsuited 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, and 2-7. These are the only starting hands worth less than the one unit you give up by folding. |
| Play | Every other hand. Any pair, any suited hand, any hand with a card 8 or higher, and every unsuited 3-4 and up. When in doubt, play. |
This is the one decision with a published, exact answer. Folding more hands than these five costs you money over time, because those hands still win the Flop bet more than they lose it.
Once the three flop cards are out, you may add a Turn bet equal to your ante. It pays even money on the final showdown, so make it whenever you are more likely to win the hand than lose it, counting every card the dealer could be holding and every card still to come. The trainer works this out for you and shows the exact figures after you decide. As a feel for it:
| Bet | A pair using one of your hole cards or better, top pair, two overcards on a ragged board, and strong draws that also carry high cards. |
| Check | A complete miss with two low cards, or a board that is far more likely to have paired the dealer than helped you. |
With four community cards out, only one card is unknown, so the odds are sharp. The trainer checks your hand against all 990 two-card holdings the dealer could have and every possible river card. Make the River bet whenever you win that count more often than you lose it. This is the cheapest, clearest bet in the game to get right, because there is so little left to guess.
| Bet | You are ahead of more than half of the dealer's possible hands. Any real made hand is almost always a bet here. |
| Check | You are behind more than half of the dealer's possible hands, and there is no bonus for winning small, so hold back. |
| Folding too much | Only five starting hands fold. Folding hands like 2-8, 3-4, or any suited hand is the most expensive habit in the game. |
| Betting when behind | The Turn and River bets are pure even-money bets. Putting them in when you are the underdog hands the dealer free equity. |
| Skipping a clear edge | When you hold a made hand that is ahead, check the Turn or River gives up guaranteed value. Press it. |
| Making the Bonus bet | The Bonus side bet carries about an 8.5% house edge. It is fun on a big hole-card hand, but it is not part of correct play. |
There is no dealer qualification. The dealer always plays out to the best five-card hand. If you beat the dealer, the Flop, Turn, and River bets pay even money, and the Ante pays even money only when your hand is a straight or better, otherwise it pushes. If the dealer wins, you lose every wager except the Bonus. Ties push everything. The Bonus pays on your two hole cards no matter who wins the hand.
| Pair of aces, both you and the dealer | 1000 to 1 |
| Pair of aces | 30 to 1 |
| A-K suited | 25 to 1 |
| A-Q or A-J suited | 20 to 1 |
| A-K unsuited | 15 to 1 |
| K-K, Q-Q, or J-J | 10 to 1 |
| A-Q or A-J unsuited | 5 to 1 |
| Pair 2-2 through 10-10 | 3 to 1 |
| Anything else | lose |
With correct play the house edge is about 2.04% per ante under Las Vegas rules. Because your average total wager grows to about 3.8 times the ante by the river, the loss per dollar actually wagered is only about 0.53%, one of the lowest figures on the casino floor.
Strategy and figures from the Wizard of Odds Texas Hold 'Em Bonus analysis (Las Vegas rules). The pre-flop fold set is exact; the Turn and River bets are graded from your live showdown odds.
This is a free Texas Hold'em Bonus trainer, also written Texas Holdem Bonus Poker, that lets you practice the game and grades every decision as you play. It deals a real hand against the dealer, then scores your fold, flop, turn, and river choices against exact odds and tells you why. There is no signup and nothing to install. Most pages on this game are static strategy charts or a free play table with no feedback. This trainer is different: it coaches each street in real time, so you learn optimal Texas Hold'em Bonus strategy by doing, not by memorizing a wall of hands.
The grading is grounded in real math, not rules of thumb. The pre-flop fold decision is checked against the exact published answer. The river decision is scored against all 990 possible dealer hands and every remaining card. The turn decision is scored against a large simulation of the cards still to come. Every showdown uses a full seven-card poker evaluator, the Ante is resolved with the straight-or-better rule, and the optional Bonus side bet pays on your hole cards.
You post an Ante and an optional Bonus bet, then receive two hole cards while the dealer gets two face down. You either fold, losing the Ante, or make a Flop bet equal to twice the Ante to continue. After the three flop cards you may add a Turn bet of one unit or check. After the turn card you may add a River bet of one unit or check. There is no bet after the river, and unlike some poker table games the dealer never folds and does not need to qualify. If you beat the dealer, the Flop, Turn, and River bets pay even money, and the Ante pays even money only when your hand is a straight or better, otherwise it pushes.
Pre-flop, make the Flop bet with every starting hand except five: unsuited 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, and 2-7. Fold only those. Folding more hands than that costs you money. The Turn and River bets are even-money bets on the final hand, so make them whenever you are a favorite to beat the dealer and check when you are behind. The optional Bonus bet is fun but expensive, carrying about an 8.54% house edge, so it is not part of correct play. The Strategy tab inside the trainer holds the full chart, the reasoning, and the most common mistakes.
With correct play the Texas Hold'em Bonus house edge is about 2.04% per ante under Las Vegas rules. Because your average wager grows to roughly 3.8 times the ante by the river, the element of risk, the loss per dollar actually wagered, is only about 0.53%, one of the best figures in the casino. The hand standard deviation is about 3.5. The Bonus side bet pays on your two hole cards, from 3 to 1 on a small pair up to 1000 to 1 for a pair of aces when the dealer also holds a pair of aces. Full payouts are in the Strategy tab.
No, and the two get confused often. Texas Hold'em Bonus uses an Ante and an optional Bonus bet, a fold or a Flop bet of twice the ante, then optional one-unit Turn and River bets, with no dealer qualification. Ultimate Texas Hold'em uses Ante, Blind, and Play bets, a single raise of 4x, 2x, or 1x depending on when you commit, and a dealer that must qualify with a pair. If you meant that game, use the Ultimate Texas Hold'em trainer instead.
Is the Texas Hold'em Bonus trainer free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no signup and nothing to download, and it is free to use.
How do you play Texas Hold'em Bonus?
Make an Ante and optional Bonus bet, then fold or make a Flop bet of twice the ante. After the flop you may add a one-unit Turn bet, and after the turn a one-unit River bet. Best five-card hand against the dealer wins. The dealer never folds and does not need to qualify.
Which starting hands should I fold?
Under Las Vegas rules you make the Flop bet with every hand except five: unsuited 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, and 2-7. Fold only those. Everything else plays.
When should I make the Turn and River bets?
Both are even-money bets on the final hand, so make them whenever you are more likely to win than lose. The trainer computes your exact win chance against the dealer's possible hands.
Is the Bonus side bet worth it?
No. It carries about an 8.54% house edge, far higher than the 2.04% main game. It pays up to 1000 to 1, but it is not part of correct play.
What is the house edge?
About 2.04% per ante under Las Vegas rules, with an element of risk near 0.53% because your average wager grows through the hand.
Is Texas Hold'em Bonus the same as Ultimate Texas Hold'em?
No. Different bets, a different raise structure, and no dealer qualification. See the Ultimate Texas Hold'em trainer if that is the game you meant.
For practice and training only. No real-money wagering. 21+. Gamble responsibly. Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
More free trainers for casino games that reward the same disciplined, decision-by-decision play: the Ultimate Texas Hold'em trainer, the Caribbean Stud Poker trainer, and the Mississippi Stud trainer.