Play Casino Hold'em for Real Money or for Free

The game of Casino Hold'em was first developed by a guy called Stephen Au-Yeung in the late 90s as a teaching aid for learning to play Texas Hold'em. Shortly after that, in the 2000s, it was developed into a casino game and from there it spread to online casinos. Today almost every online casino features the popular game, which can be summed up as a simple player versus dealer version of Texas Hold'em. 

Play Casino Hold'em for Free

Casino Hold'em is a simple game to learn, and once you know the rules, it can provide endless hours of fun and enjoyment. If you're new to the game and haven't played it before, or maybe it's your first experience at an online casino, and you want to take it slowly, it's a great idea to explore the game for free at first, so you can familiarise yourself with how it all works.

Luckily, most of the online casinos that offer this game give you the option to play it for free in demo mode! Even those that don't offer this ability may still issue you the chance to play for free by using a sign-up bonus. Let's look at these two ways of playing Casino Hold'em for free. 

Free Casino Hold'em Demo Mode

If you've never heard of it, demo mode, or free play mode, as it may also be called, is a version of the games that can be played without risking any of your own money. The game itself, in this case, Casino, Hold'em, is the same as it would be in real money mode except in one important way: the balance you use to play with is in play chips.

Playing in demo mode is a fantastic way of seeing how the game works without having to use your own money to play. It's perfect if you've never played the game before or if you want to see how a particular version of the game looks and plays. Remember that live dealer versions of Casino Hold'em are not usually available to play in demo mode. Accessing the game's demo version is generally as simple as clicking the Play For Free or Demo button on the game image.

Take Advantage of Free Promos

It's easy to assume that the only way to play Casino Hold'em for free is to play it in demo mode. However, another way of playing the game for free that takes you a step closer to playing for real without actually using any of your own money is by claiming a sign-up bonus.

Online casinos commonly offer Sign-up bonuses to encourage people to join and start playing. All you need to do to claim one is register a new account at the online casino, which will be credited to your account. Depending on the sign-up bonus, you'll then be able to use it to play Casino Hold'em. 

The great thing about this is if you manage to win, once you've fulfilled the wagering requirements, you can withdraw those winnings as real cash! Some sites don't even impose wagering requirements on winnings, though they are the exception rather than the rule.

Play Casino Hold'em for Real Money

So you've explored the Casino Hold 'em game in demo mode or using a sign-up bonus and have developed a taste for it - no wonder it is a pretty awesome game! But where do you go from there? At some point during your game, you've probably beaten the dealer or maybe even scored a nice-sized win from the AA side bet and wished those winnings were real. Well, if you start playing for real money, they will be!

Playing Casino Hold'em for real money usually means you'll need to make a deposit, but it's not the only way of playing for real. Online casinos offer plenty of bonuses that you can claim to allow you to play a bit longer. Let's look at these two main ways of playing Casino Hold'em for real money in more detail.

Deposit to Play Casino Hold'em

When you're ready to start playing for real, the most obvious approach is to make your first deposit at the online Casino. If the idea of doing so fills you with dread, don't worry! It's completely normal to be a little apprehensive. As long as you choose a safe and trustworthy online casino at which to play, your money will be just as safe as it is when you do your online shopping.

How do you know which online casinos are safe and trustworthy? Choose one from this site, which is dedicated to reviewing them in detail and presenting only those that are deemed high quality and secure.

Making your first deposit at an online casino is a very simple process. Once you've registered a new account, you'll probably be encouraged to deposit. You can also click on any of the Deposit buttons on the site or visit the Cashier. You'll be presented with various payment methods to choose from, after which you enter your details, along with how much you want to deposit, and then click the button. 

Your funds will usually appear instantly in your online casino balance; you can start playing Casino Hold'em for real.

Payment Provider	Accepts Deposits	Accepts Withdrawals	Payout Speed	Fees	More Info
	Yes	Yes	up to 72 Hours	up to 5%	online casinos that accept Neteller
	Yes	Yes	48 to 72 Hours	up to 7%	online casinos that accept Skrill
	Yes	Yes	48 to 72 Hours	up to 3%	online casinos that accept PayPal
	Yes	Yes	up to 3 days	up to 3%*	online casinos that accept credit cards

*In many cases, the casino may waive or even pass on fees associated with transacting with the casino. Ensure to clarify fees with the casino that you choose.

Bonuses Available for Casino Hold'em

Looking for a big bonus to play Casino Hold'em? You're in the right place! This site will take you through all the best online casinos that offer attractive bonuses to suit your needs. But before you go off in search of them, read through our section on what kind of bonuses you can expect to find, so you can decide which ones are best for you.

As mentioned before, online casinos offer bonuses of all different kinds to encourage people to deposit and play and keep on doing so. These can range from no-deposit and welcome bonuses to reload bonuses and even cashback. Let's explore a few different extras that you may come across that are suitable for playing Casino Hold'em. 

No-Deposit Bonuses for Casino Hold'em

As the name implies, no-deposit bonuses are those that don't require you to deposit to claim them. The most common no-deposit bonus is the sign-up bonus, where you only need to register a new account to get the bonus. Other kinds of no-deposit bonuses also exist, such as those offered by the online casino to players who haven't been on the site for a while or are classed as VIPs.

No-deposit bonuses tend to be smaller than deposit bonuses, and the rules concerning how they can be used a bit stricter too. It's common to find no-deposit bonuses that can only be used on certain games, is maybe only valid for a short period, and carries higher than usual wagering requirements before a withdrawal is permitted. Be sure to check the T&Cs before claiming.

Casino Hold'em Welcome Offers

Perhaps the most common type of bonus is the Welcome Bonus, which, as the name suggests, is a special bonus offered to new players who make their first deposit at the online Casino. Welcome bonuses are very common across the industry, with online casinos competing fiercely to attract new players. It's important to take your time and choose the welcome bonus that's right for you and take into consideration the qualities of the site itself, not just the size of the bonus.

Claiming a best welcome bonus usually involves making a qualifying first deposit, that is, one that is of at least a set amount (e.g. €20). However, you may also find some online casinos require you to enter a bonus code when making your first deposit to trigger the bonus, while other sites may ask you to contact support to claim it.

Exciting Reload Bonuses

Whereas a welcome bonus is valid only on your first deposit at an online casino, reload bonuses can be claimed on any other deposit. Just like welcome bonuses, reload bonuses tend to be a certain percentage of your deposit amount up to a maximum value (e.g. 100% up to €200), giving you extra funds to play with on top.

Most online casinos offer to reload bonuses in one form or another, the details of which can usually be found on their Promotions or Offers page. It's common to find weekly or monthly reload bonus offers available for active players, but special reload bonuses are sometimes sent to individual players via email.

Casino Hold'em Cashback

Though it's not immediately obvious, cashback is another bonus that you can use to play Casino Hold'em. While bonuses are claimed before you play, cashback is declared after the relevant gameplay and serves as a backup or protection against losses.

Cashback tends to work because your gameplay over a certain period is taken into account, and if you've suffered a net loss over that period, you'll get a percentage of those losses back. However, bear in mind that what you get back is not straight cash; it's a bonus and is subject to wagering requirements.

Live Hold'em Bonuses

While you're looking for Casino Hold'em bonuses, don't forget about the live dealer versions! Live dealer Casino Hold'em is a fantastic experience that's about as close as you can get to the real thing without going to bricks and mortar casinos. It also means you can look out for live casino bonuses, which are special bonuses that can only be used to play live dealer games.

Tons of Tournaments

Another way of getting your hands on a Casino Hold'em bonus is to participate in tournaments. Many online casinos run games on an ongoing basis, where your gameplay earns you points towards a place on the leaderboard. Typically held weekly or monthly, tournaments can be for slots, table games and live dealer games, with prizes often awarded in the form of bonuses.

Tournaments are a great way of potentially getting something extra just for playing, and if you win, it's even more funds to play Casino Hold'em with!

How to Play Casino Hold'em?

Casino Hold'em is a simplified version of Texas Hold'em played between the player and the dealer only. The first step in playing Casino Hold'em is to place your ante bet, at which point both you and the dealer are dealt two cards, though you can only see your own.

Also dealt with are the first three of five community cards. If you don't like your cards, you can choose to Fold, losing your ante bet. If you decide you have a strong hand, you can choose to Call for double your ante bet, which results in the final two of the community cards being dealt and all cards being shown. The winner is the one with the strongest poker hand.

To learn more, check out our page on how to play and win at casino hold'em.

References

• Casino Hold'em (Wikipedia)