How to Play Texas Hold'em

Players: 2–10 · Deck: one standard 52-card deck, no jokers · Goal: win chips by holding the best five-card hand at showdown, or by getting everyone else to fold.

Setup

Give everyone the same stack of chips. A dealer button marks the dealer and moves one seat left after every hand. The player left of the button posts the small blind; the next player posts the big blind (usually twice the small blind). Blinds are forced bets that seed the pot.

How a hand plays

1. Hole cards. Each player gets two cards face down.
2. Pre-flop betting. Starting left of the big blind, each player folds, calls the big blind, or raises.
3. The flop. Three community cards are dealt face up. Another betting round starts with the first active player left of the button.
4. The turn. A fourth community card, then a betting round.
5. The river. A fifth community card, then a final betting round.
6. Showdown. Remaining players reveal. Best five-card hand using any combination of your two cards and the five on the board wins the pot.

On your turn you can check (pass, if no one has bet), bet, call (match a bet), raise, or fold.

Poker hand rankings (high to low)

1. Royal flush — A-K-Q-J-10, same suit
2. Straight flush — five in a row, same suit
3. Four of a kind
4. Full house — three of a kind plus a pair
5. Flush — any five of one suit
6. Straight — five in a row, mixed suits (ace can be high or low)
7. Three of a kind
8. Two pair
9. One pair
10. High card

Ties are broken by the highest unpaired cards (kickers). Suits never break ties; an exact tie splits the pot.

Beginner tips

• Play fewer hands. Big pairs and high suited cards are worth playing; most other hands are worth folding.
• Position matters. Acting last lets you see what everyone else does first.
• Agree on blind levels and a stop time before you start so the game ends on schedule.

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