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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you’ve at least heard of Texas Hold’em. While Texas Hold’em is actually fairly simple to play, it can look really intimidating when you don’t know what’s going on; there are cards all over the table, and players use a lot of jargon that doesn’t make much sense to non-players.
Poker hands are rated according to the likelihood that a player will receive them. Equivalent poker hands are rated according to which player holds cards of the highest values, called the stronger hand. You can learn poker hands for most poker games using a memory device called a mnemonic.
Luckily, learning how to play Texas Holdem is quick and easy. Here’s a quick guide to the rules of Texas Hold’em!
How to Play Texas Hold’em: Getting Started
To play Texas Hold’em, you’re going to need a standard deck of 52 playing cards, and some people to play with. Typically, Texas Hold’em is played with anywhere between two and ten players, but if you’re just starting out and want to understand how the game normally works, a group of six to ten players will probably work best. You’ll also want chips, as well as something you can use to signify which player is the dealer (many poker sets come with a dealer button).
How to Play Texas Hold’em: Hand Ranks
The object of the game is to make the best five-card poker hand possible. Each player receives two cards, face down, that they can examine but should be kept secret from the other players. In addition, every player can use five community cards that are placed in the center of the table by the dealer during the course of the hand. Each player’s hand can be made up of any combination of those five community cards and their two “hole cards.” Hands are ranked according to the normal poker hand rankings. If you need a refresher, those rankings look like this (starting from the lowest hand):
Straight Flush
Five suited cards in sequential order: T♥9♥8♥7♥6♥
This is the strongest hand in Texas Hold’em, and includes any hand that is a straight made up of five cards of the same suit. The strongest possible Straight Flush – AKQJT of the same suit – is known as a Royal Flush.
Four-of-a-Kind
Four cards of the same rank: Q♥Q♦Q♣Q♠
This group, also known as ‘quads’ or ‘poker’, includes any hand that has four cards of the same rank, such as AAAA3. Hands in this group are ranked by the rank of the quads, and then, if necessary, the rank of the single card.
Full House
Three cards of the same rank and two cards of another rank: 2♥2♦2♣9♥9♣
Also known as a boat, a full house is a combination of three of a kind and a pair. These hands are ranked by comparing the rank of the three of a kind, then, if necessary, the pair.
Flush
Five cards of any rank in the same suit: 4♣6♣J♣A♣9♣
Any hand with five cards of the same suit, such as five clubs, is a flush. Ties are broken by the rank of the highest card in each flush, followed by the second highest card, and so on. E.g. An ace high flush, beats a ten high flush. A flush is sometimes called a “blue”.
Straight
Five cards of any suit in sequential order: K♦Q♣J♥T♣9♠
Straights are also known as runs. Straights include any hand with five cards of consecutive rank, like 56789. Aces can be played as either a high card or a low card in straights. If two players have a straight, the straight with the higher cards wins. The “nut straight” is A-K-Q-J-T and is known as “Broadway.”
Three-of-a-Kind
Three cards of the same rank in a five-card hand: 8♥8♣8♦XX
If you have a this hand with a pair in your hole cards, it is known as a set. If you have one card in your hand and two on the board, it is called trips. Ties are broken by the rank of the three of a kind, then the rank of the highest unpaired card.
Two Pair
Two cards of the same rank, and two of a different rank in a five-card hand: 5♦5♣K♠K♣Xx
Two pair is the most common winning hand at showdown in No-Limit Hold ‘em. This group includes any hand with two pairs of cards from the same ranks, like TTQQ6. Ties are broken first by the rank of the higher pair, then the lower pair, and then the unpaired card.
One Pair
Two cards of the same rank in a five-card hand: 9♥9♣XXX
This group includes any hand that contains one pair of cards of the same rank, like 77QK2. Ties in this group are broken by the rank of the pair, and then by the rank of the highest non-pair card, and so on.
High Card
Any five-card hand that does not correspond to the above rankings.
The highest card in the hand determines the name. For example, a High Card hand of K♥9♦6♣3♠2♣ is called “King High.”
Hands in this group are ranked by their highest card (aces are high), with ties broken by the second highest card, then the third, and so on.
How to Play Texas Hold’em: Rules of Play
In Texas Hold ‘em, there are four rounds of betting. These rounds are also refereed to as “streets”.
- Pre-flop, when players are dealt their first two hole cards.
- Flop, when the first three board cards are dealt.
- Turn, when the 4th board card is dealt.
- River, when the 5th and final board card is dealt.
Each hand of Texas Hold’em begins with the two players to the left of the button posting the small blind and large blind, respectively. The size of these blinds, along with the size of the bets throughout the game, will be determined by the betting structure you choose to use.
Limit Hold’em games employ a fixed betting structure. A $5/$10 Limit Game, for example, has forced “blind” bets of $2 and $5 (small blind and big blind) and a small bet of $5 followed by a big bet of $10. Players can bet and raise in $5 increments until $20 before and on the flop ($20 is the equivalent of 4bets and is known as capping. This is the maximum number of raises allowed in any round of fixed limit holdem betting). On the turn and river, the bet size doubles, so in a $5/$10 game, bets and raises of $10 increments are made on the turn and river with a cap of $40.
In No-Limit Hold’em games, players can bet and raise as much as they like at any point. For example, a $1/$2 game with blinds of $1 and $2 will have a minimum bet of $2 and a maximum bet of all your chips. No Limit Texas Hold’em is the most popular betting structure in todays games.
Pot-Limit Hold’em games play much like No-Limit, but players are restricted to betting and raising the size of the pot.
After the blinds are posted, the dealer deals two cards face down to each player. Beginning with the player to the left of the big blind, each player now has the following options for playing their hand:
Fold: A player may fold at any time, forfeiting their cards and ending their participation in the hand.
Call: A player may match the current bet.
Raise: A player may raise the current bet (the amount of the raise allowed will depend on the game structure).
Players will also have the option to check (or pass) at times during the hand; this occurs when no bet has been made yet in a betting round. In the case of the first betting round, only the big blind will have this option, and only if there is no raise (as the big blind has already put the initial betting amount into play to start the hand).
Play moves around the table clockwise. A round of betting ends when all remaining players have called the current bet, or when only one player is left in the hand because everyone else has folded. In that case, the last player takes the money in the pot, and the hand is over.
If two or more players are left after a the first betting round ends, then the dealer will deal three cards (known as the flop) in the middle of the table. These community cards can be used by all players to help make their best hand. On this and all later betting rounds, the play starts with the first player to the left of the dealer button.
As long as at least two players remain in the hand, play continues as normal. After the flop, the dealer will deal a fourth community card, known as the turn. After another round of betting, the dealer will then deal the final community card, known as the river. At that point, there is one last round of betting. If that round ends with two or more players still in the hand, all remaining players now “showdown” by revealing their hands. The player with the best hand according to the hand rankings above takes all of the money in the pot. If there is an exact tie between two or more players, they will split the pot as evenly as possible.
After each hand, the dealer button moves one seat to the left, and play begins again as normal.
While there are many more intricacies to the rules of Texas Hold’em, this should be enough to get you started. Now that you understand how to play Texas Hold’em, it’s time to get to the tables and start playing!
Example Hand
Joe, Chris, Jack, Martin and Matt are playing a game of $10/$20 Fixed Limit Hold’em at a leading online poker room. Each player has $500.
Joe posts a $5 small blind and Chris a $10 big blind. Matt, as dealer (or “on the button,” a reference to the dealer button used to indicate the betting rotation) then deals two cards to each player, beginning with Joe and dealing clockwise. When each player has two cards, the betting commences.
Jack folds his cards but Martin likes his a little better and decides to call, matching the $10 big blind. Matt raises to $20 and Joe folds. Chris calls the extra $10 and so does Martin.
With the betting round complete, making a $65 pot, Matt “burns” the top card of the deck (discards it face-down) before dealing the first three community cards – the flop – on the table. The burn is used to prevent cheating.
The flop is: J♥ 2♣ 2♥
With the action going clockwise from the small blind, Chris is first to act and checks. Martin bets $10 and Matt raises to $20. Chris folds and Martin 3-bets to $30. Matt calls to create a pot of $125 and then burns a card before dealing the fourth card, the turn.
The turn makes a board of: J♥ 2♣ 2♥ 8♥
Martin checks and Matt bets $20 – on the turn and river, remember the betting is in increments of the big bet. Martin calls for a pot of $165 and the river is dealt.
The river completes the board: J♥ 2♣ 2♥ 8♥ 4 ♠
Martin bets $20 and Matt raises to $40. Martin 3-bets to $60 and Matt 4-bets to $80, which caps the betting. Martin cannot raise any further and calls for a final pot of $325 – since he has been called, Matt must showdown first. He turns over J♣J♦ for a full house, jacks over twos. Martin shows A♥ K♥ for an ace-high flush that loses to Matt’s boat.
Table Of Contents
What Is Texas Hold'em Poker?
Texas Hold'em is by far the most popular of all poker variations. All of the marquee tournaments around the world (including those played at the World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour, the European Poker Tour, and elsewhere) feature the no-limit variation of this game. In fact, Texas hold'em is so popular some who aren't familiar with poker don't realize there are other ways to play the game.
It takes a moment to learn, but a lifetime to master.
Learning how to play Texas hold'em poker is not that difficult, but don't let the simplicity of the game mislead you. The number of possible game situations is so vast that the game can be very complex, when playing at a high level. That's the inspiration for the famous saying about Texas hold'em that 'it takes a moment to learn, but a lifetime to master.'
When playing the game for the first time, you will want to be familiar with the basic rules for Texas hold'em that are explained below.
Texas Hold'em Rules
So how do you play Texas hold'em? In Texas hold'em players are trying to make the best five-card poker hand according to traditional poker rankings. In this respect, hold'em is not unlike other poker games like five-card draw. However, the way players construct their hands in Texas hold'em is a little different than in draw poker.
It's always possible a player can 'bluff' and get others to fold better hands.
In hold'em each player is dealt two cards face down (the 'hole cards'), then over the course of subsequent rounds five more cards are eventually dealt face up in the middle of the table. These face up cards are called the 'community cards' because each player uses them to make a five-card poker hand.
The five community cards are dealt in three stages:
Stage 1: The first three community cards are called the 'flop.'
Stage 2' Then just one card is dealt, called the 'turn.'
Stage 3: Finally one more card, the fifth and final community card, is dealt — the 'river.'
Players construct their five-card poker hands using the best available five cards out of the seven total cards (the two hole cards and the five community cards). This can be done by using both of the hole cards in combination with three community cards, one hole card in combination with four community cardsm or no hole cards and playing all five community cards — whatever works to make the best five-card hand.
If the betting causes all but one player to fold, the lone remaining player wins the pot without having to show any cards. For that reason, players don't always have to hold the best hand to win the pot. It's always possible a player can 'bluff' and get others to fold better hands. If two or more players make it all of the way to the showdown after the last community card is dealt and all betting is complete, then the only way to win the pot is to have the highest-ranking five-card poker hand.
Let's get into some specifics including how to deal Texas hold'em and how the betting works. A good way to explain the order of play is to talk about some of the key positions at the table — the button and the blinds (small blind and big blind).
The Button
Play moves clockwise around the table, starting with action to the left of the dealer button. The button is a round disc that sits in front of a player and is rotated one seat to the left every hand. When playing in casinos and poker rooms, the player with the dealer button doesn't actually deal the cards (the poker room hires someone to do that). In home games with friends, though, the player with the button usually does deal the hands.
The button determines which player at the table is the acting dealer.
Generally, the first two players sitting to the immediate left of the button are required to post a small blind and a big blind to initiate the betting. From there, action occurs on multiple streets: preflop, the flop, the turn and the river (explained further below).
The button determines which player at the table is the acting dealer. In Texas hold'em, the player on button, or last active player closest to the button, receives last action on all postflop streets of play.
While the dealer button dictates which players have to post the small and big blinds, it also determines where the dealing of the cards begin. The player to the immediate left of the dealer button in the small blind receives the first card and then the dealer pitches cards around the table in a clockwise motion from player to player until each has received two starting cards.
The Blinds
As mentioned, before every new hand, two players at the table are obligated to post small and big blinds. These are forced bets that begin the wagering. Without these blinds, the game would be very boring because no one would be required to put any money into the pot. Players could just wait around until they are dealt pocket aces and only play then. The blinds, however, ensure there will be 'action' on every hand.
In tournaments, the blinds are raised at regular intervals. In cash games, the blinds always stay the same.
In tournaments, the blinds are raised at regular intervals. As the number of players keeps decreasing and the stacks of the remaining players keep getting bigger, it is a necessity that the blinds keep increasing throughout a tournament. In cash games, the blinds always stay the same.
The player directly to the left of the button posts the small blind, and the player to his or her direct left posts the big blind. The small blind is generally half the amount of the big blind, although this stipulation varies from room to room and can also be dependent of the game being played. For example, in a '$1/$2' game of Texas hold'em, the small blind is $1 and the big blind is $2.
First Betting Round: Preflop
The first round of betting takes place right after each player has been dealt two hole cards. The first player to act is the player to the left of the big blind, a position referred to as 'under the gun' because the player has to act first. This player has three options:
- Call: match the amount of the big blind
- Raise: increase the bet within the specific limits of the game
- Fold: throw the hand away
If the player chooses to fold, he or she is no longer eligible to win the current hand.
Players can bet anywhere from the amount of the big blind (the minimum bet allowed) up to the total amount in the current pot.
The amount a player can raise to depends on the game that is being played. Most commonly in a game of no-limit Texas hold'em, the minimum opening raise must be at least twice the big blind, and the maximum raise can be all of the chips a player has in his or her stack (an 'all-in' bet).
There are other betting variations in hold'em poker. In fixed-limit hold'em (or just 'limit hold'em), a raise is always exactly twice the big blind. In pot-limit hold'em (played much less often than the other variations), players can bet anywhere from the amount of the big blind (the minimum bet allowed) up to the total amount in the current pot.
After the first player ('under the gun') acts, play proceeds in a clockwise fashion around the table with each player also having the same three options — to call, to raise, or fold. Once the last bet is called and the action is 'closed,' the preflop round is over and play moves on to the 'flop.'
Second Betting Round: The Flop
After the first preflop betting round has been completed, the first three community cards are dealt and a second betting round follows involving only the players who have not folded already.
A check simply means to pass the action to the next player in the hand.
In this betting round (and subsequent ones), action starts with the first active player to the left of the button. Along with the options to bet, call, fold, or raise, a player now has the option to 'check' if no betting action has occurred beforehand. A check simply means to pass the action to the next player in the hand.
Again betting continues until the last bet or raise has been called (which closes the action). It also can happen that every player simply chooses not to be and checks around the table, which also ends the betting round.
Third Betting Round: The Turn
Call – match the amount of the big blind
The fourth community card, called the turn, is dealt face up following all betting action on the flop. Once this has been completed, another round of betting occurs, similar to that on the previous street of play. Again players have the option to options to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.
Final Betting Round: The River
Fold – throw the hand away
The fifth community card, called the river, is dealt face up following all betting action on the turn. Once this has been completed, another round of betting occurs, similar to what took play on the previous street of play. Once more the remaining players have the option to options to check, bet, call, fold, or raise.
After all betting action has been completed, the remaining players in the hand with hole cards now expose their holdings to determine a winner. This is called the showdown.
The Showdown
Players construct their hands by choosing the five best cards from the seven available
The remaining players open their hole cards, and with the assistance of the dealer a winning hand is determined. The player with the best combination of five cards wins the pot according to traditional poker hand rankings. These hand rankings aren't specifically part of Texas hold'em rules, but apply to many different poker games.
- Royal Flush — five cards of the same suit, ranked ace through ten; e.g., A♥K♥Q♥J♥10♥
- Straight Flush — five cards of the same suit and consecutively ranked; e.g., 9♣8♣7♣6♣5♣
- Four of a Kind — four cards of the same rank; e.g., Q♣Q♥Q♦Q♠4♦
- Full House — three cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g., J♣J♥J♠8♦8♥
- Flush — any five cards of the same suit; e.g., A♠J♠8♠5♠2♠
- Straight — any five cards consecutively ranked; e.g., Q♣J♦10♥9♠8♦
- Three of a Kind — three cards of the same rank; e.g., 8♣8♠8♦K♣4♥
- Two Pair — two cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g., A♠A♣J♦J♣7♠
- One Pair — two cards of the same rank; e.g., 10♥10♣9♥4♦2♦
- High Card — five unmatched cards; e.g., A♣J♦10♠5♣2♥ would be called 'ace-high'
Remember, players construct their hands by choosing the five best cards from the seven available (their two hole cards and the five community cards).
For example, if the board is showing 9♣5♠K♦3♠A♥, a player with the two hole cards 9♠ would have two pair (aces and nines), and would lose to a player who has 9♦9♥ for three of a kind (three nines).
Texas Holdem Poker Hand Order
Learning hold'em poker begins with understanding how hands are dealt and the order of play as described above. Of course, learning Texas hold'em rules is just the beginning, as the next step is to learn strategy which involves understanding what constitutes good starting hand selection, the odds and probabilities associated with the game, the significance of position and getting to act last during those postflop betting rounds, and many other aspects of the game.