Titled after the poker game variant, "Texas Hold 'Em" is an uptempo country pop, western, and soul song featuring elements of folk.

Beyoncé was born and raised in Houston, Texas, where the city's cowboy heritage and zydeco music played a role in her upbringing.

[10] Her appearance was teased by the company in the days leading up to the Super Bowl with teaser trailers featuring her sixth and seventh studio albums, Lemonade and Renaissance (2022).

[14] As the Super Bowl continued, she released two tracks from the album to streaming services and digital download: "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages".

[19] Chris Willman of Variety likened the song to "Daddy Lessons" for its "playful" sound and danceability,[20] while Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian found whispers of the Jonas Brothers "What a Man Gotta Do" (2020) in its melody.

Well, I didn't expect the banjo to be mine.In a review for Variety, Chris Willman described "Texas Hold 'Em" as a "genre-embracing and -transcending" track that acts as a radical venture into "unexplored territory", with Beyoncé reclaiming country music as a Black genre.

Willman noted that instead of being "genre tourism", Beyoncé is taking a serious and authentic approach to her embrace of country music, exercising her "natural right" to reach back into her roots as a Texas native.

"[26] Craig Jenkins for Vulture praised how "thornily" the song "plays dealer with a stack of country clichés like wisdom earned in card games and dive bars but pumps them full of lyrics that would make a Grand Ole Opry audience sweat.

"[27] Writing for Consequence, Mary Siroky proclaimed "Texas Hold 'Em" as her early song of the summer while lauding Beyoncé's "inimitable" vocal performance.

[28] Kyle Denis of Billboard also praised Beyoncé's "impassioned vocal performance", as well as the "slick harmonies" and powerful instrumentation on the track.

[30] In his negative review, Chris Richards of The Washington Post wrote that the song felt "dull, dry, unimaginative, unnecessary, unconfident and uncool.

"[31] Pitchfork's Nadine Smith appreciated how the song brought the "parallel worlds" of country and soul music together through its collaborators, but criticized Beyoncé's attempts at "9-to-5 relatability" and "car commercial"-esque production.

Even more exciting was how it helped reinvigorate the country genre across music, fashion, art, and culture, and introduced the world to so much great talent like Shaboozey, Tanner Adell, Willie Jones, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts.

[46] The BBC's Daisy Woodward wrote that Beyoncé's embrace of country music "galvanises" the reclamation of western culture by those who have felt excluded by it and subverts the traditional image of cowboys.

[48] NBC News's Emi Tuyetnhi Tran wrote that "Texas Hold 'Em" has the potential to redefine what it means to be a country artist "in the cultural consciousness.

"[49] In an analysis for American Songwriter, Thom Donovan reported that "country music's embrace of hip-hop was the natural progression" and "Texas Hold 'Em" is "more than a cheeky metaphor; it's part of the larger arc of Beyoncé's work celebrating the legacy of Black artists".

[26][51] Black female country musicians saw a significant increase in streams due to the song, such as Reyna Roberts (250%), Rissi Palmer (110%), Tanner Adell (188%) and K. Michelle (185%).

Linda Martell, the first commercially successful Black female country artist and the first to play the Grand Ole Opry, saw a 275% increase in streams.

[51] Other musicians who saw an increase in demand include Adia Victoria, Amri Unplugged, Brittney Spencer, Mickey Guyton, Rhiannon Giddens, and Sacha.

[52] In an article for The Nashville Tennessean, Andrea Williams explained how Beyoncé has opened the door for others in country music and proved that Black songwriters, producers, and musicians belong in the genre.

Williams wrote that Black people are generally "shut out of country music's creation" and that they "have been waiting for the opportunity to take part in the genre their forefathers helped build, to not be told they're too urban for Nashville studios."

[54] SiriusXM host Mike Muse told Good Morning America that the song is sparking a "global conversation" and "social discourse" on country music and increasing public interest in the genre.

[56] Texas Monthly's Dan Solomon wrote that the song has had a "dramatic" cultural impact, with Beyoncé "remaking country radio in her image.

Moon noted that instead of just fitting a certain "vibe", "Texas Hold 'Em" has a "fresh" and "exciting" new sound, saying, "Just the way the song is constructed, the vocals are amazing, the instrumentation's fantastic.

"[58] Programmers at Cumulus Media's country stations had a call where they spoke "enthusiastically" about the song, with chief content officer Brian Philips describing it as "a gift".

iHeartMedia chief programming officer and president Tom Poleman spoke of his excitement to play the song on iHeartRadio stations, describing Beyoncé as an "innovator" who "continues to push the creative boundaries in music."

[66] A petition that attributed this to "racism, revisionist history, and gatekeeping"[67] and demanding country radio stations play the song had amassed over 28,000 signatures within a month.

[74] Variety reported that Sony Music, owner of Columbia Records who hold a contract with Beyonce's company Parkwood Entertainment, "did not immediately respond to requests for comment about any plans to promote the song at country radio.

[88] The following week, "Texas Hold 'Em" rose to number one on the Hot 100, becoming Beyoncé's ninth number-one and her 13th including as a member of Destiny's Child.

[99] The song went on to top the chart for five non-consecutive weeks, surpassing "Beautiful Liar" (2007) and "Crazy in Love" (2003) as Beyoncé's longest running number one in the country.