Texas Hold’em Rules: How to Play, Step by Step
Texas Hold’em is the most played form of poker. Each player gets two private cards, five shared cards are dealt face up, and the best five-card hand wins the pot. The rules fit on one page. This guide walks through one full hand in order.
The aim of the game
You win a pot in one of two ways. You show the best five-card hand at the end, or you bet and every other player folds. You make your hand from any five of seven cards: your two private hole cards and the five shared cards on the board.
You may use both hole cards, one, or none. If the board itself is the best hand for everyone left, the pot is split.
The button and the blinds
A disc called the button marks the dealer position. It moves one seat to the left after every hand, so every player takes each position in turn.
Before the cards are dealt, the player left of the button posts the small blind and the next player posts the big blind. These forced bets give every hand something to play for. In a tournament the blinds rise on a schedule, which pushes the event toward a finish.
Preflop
Every player gets two hole cards, face down. Betting starts with the player left of the big blind and moves clockwise. To stay in, you must at least match the big blind.
The big blind acts last before the flop. If nobody raised, the big blind may check or raise.
The flop, the turn and the river
The flop is three shared cards dealt face up at once. A betting round follows, starting with the first active player left of the button.
The turn is a fourth shared card, followed by another betting round. The river is the fifth and last shared card, followed by the final betting round.
From the flop onward, the player on the button acts last in every round. Acting last is an advantage, because you see what everyone else does before you decide.
Your options on each turn
If nobody has bet in the round, you can check, which passes the action, or bet. If someone has bet, you can fold and give up the hand, call by matching the bet, or raise by increasing it.
A betting round ends when every player still in the hand has put in the same amount, or has folded, or is all-in.
All-ins and side pots
Going all-in means betting every chip you have. You can be called by players with more chips, but you can win from each of them only as much as you put in yourself.
When an all-in player is covered and others keep betting, the extra chips go into a side pot. Only the players who contributed to the side pot can win it. The all-in player competes for the main pot only.
The showdown
If two or more players remain after the last betting round, they show their cards. The best five-card hand wins the pot. Hands are ranked by the standard poker hand rankings, from a royal flush down to a high card.
Equal hands split the pot. Suits are never ranked against each other in Hold’em: a flush in hearts and the same flush in spades tie.
Related
FAQ
How many cards do you get in Texas Hold’em?
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Two private hole cards. Five shared cards are then dealt face up, and you make your best five-card hand from any of the seven.
Do you have to use both hole cards?
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No. You can use both, one or neither. Your hand is the best five cards out of the seven available to you.
Who acts first in Texas Hold’em?
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Before the flop, the player left of the big blind acts first. After the flop, the first active player left of the button acts first, and the button acts last.
What is a side pot?
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A separate pot created when a player is all-in and other players keep betting. The all-in player cannot win the side pot.
Where can I practice Texas Hold’em for free?
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Wagr Poker nights are free-entry Hold’em tournaments played with play chips, so a mistake costs chips and nothing else.