♠PokerTracking.com
Try Free ToolsOpen Dashboard
Home/Poker Guides/How to Play Texas Hold'em

How to Play Texas Hold'em

The complete rules of Texas Hold'em for beginners: the button and blinds, the four betting rounds, your options on each turn and how the showdown is decided, with a full example hand.

Example hand

One hand of Texas Hold'em, start to finish

Follow a single $1/$2 no-limit hand through every stage, from the blinds to the showdown. The pot shows the total after each betting round.

  1. 1. The blinds go inPot $3

    The game is $1/$2. The player to the left of the button posts the $1 small blind and the next player posts the $2 big blind. These forced bets give everyone something to play for.

  2. 2. Two hole cards eachPot $3
    A♥Q♥

    Everyone gets two private cards. You are on the button with ace-queen of hearts, a strong starting hand, especially in late position.

  3. 3. Preflop bettingPot $13
    A♥Q♥

    Action starts with the player left of the big blind. Everyone folds to you and you raise to $6. The small blind folds, losing the $1 already posted, and the big blind calls $4 more.

  4. 4. The flopPot $29
    Q♣9♥4♥

    Three community cards. You now have top pair with the best kicker, plus a flush draw. The big blind checks, you bet $8 and the big blind calls.

  5. 5. The turnPot $69
    Q♣9♥4♥2♠

    The 2 of spades changes nothing. The big blind checks again, you bet $20 and get called.

  6. 6. The riverPot $159
    Q♣9♥4♥2♠K♥

    The king of hearts completes your flush. The big blind checks, you bet $45 and the big blind calls.

  7. 7. ShowdownPot $159
    K♣9♣

    You were the last to bet, so you show first: A♥ K♥ Q♥ 9♥ 4♥, an ace-high flush. The big blind shows king-nine for two pair, kings and nines. A flush beats two pair, so you win the $159 pot, a profit of $80 on the hand.

Amounts are before any rake. Check any showdown yourself with the which hand wins checker.

The goal of Texas Hold'em

You win chips in two ways: by having the best five-card hand at the showdown, or by betting so that every other player folds before then. Each player gets two private hole cards, and five shared community cards are dealt face up in the middle. Your hand is the best five cards you can make from those seven, using both, one or none of your hole cards.

Setting up: the button and the blinds

A game has 2 to 10 players. A disc called the button marks the dealer position and moves one seat to the left after every hand, so everyone takes turns acting last.

  • The player directly left of the button posts the small blind, usually half the minimum bet.
  • The next player posts the big blind, the full minimum bet.

In a $1/$2 game the blinds are $1 and $2. In tournaments the blinds rise at set intervals, and many events add an ante. When only two players are left, the button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop.

The four betting rounds

  1. Preflop. Everyone is dealt two hole cards. Betting starts with the player left of the big blind, called under the gun, and goes clockwise. The big blind acts last and can raise even if everyone just called.
  2. The flop. Three community cards are dealt at once. From now on, betting starts with the first player still in the hand to the left of the button.
  3. The turn. A fourth community card, then another round of betting.
  4. The river. The fifth and final community card, then the last round of betting.

In casinos the dealer discards, or burns, one card face down before the flop, turn and river. If everyone but one player folds at any point, that player wins the pot straight away and shows nothing.

Your options when it's your turn

  • Check: pass without betting, only possible if nobody has bet on this round.
  • Bet: put chips in when nobody has bet yet.
  • Call: match the current bet.
  • Raise: increase the bet. In no-limit, a raise must be at least as big as the last bet or raise on that round, and you can bet up to all of your chips.
  • Fold: give up the hand and anything you have put in.

A betting round ends when every remaining player has put in the same amount or is all-in.

The showdown and who wins

If two or more players are left after the river betting, they show their hands. The last player to bet or raise on the river shows first; if everyone checked, the first player left of the button usually shows first. The best five-card hand wins, ranked from best to worst:

  1. Royal flush
  2. Straight flush
  3. Four of a kind
  4. Full house
  5. Flush
  6. Straight
  7. Three of a kind
  8. Two pair
  9. One pair
  10. High card

See every hand with examples and odds on the poker hand rankings page. Suits never rank against each other, so two hands of exactly the same value split the pot.

Rules beginners often miss

  • Playing the board. If the five community cards make your best hand, you are playing the board and tie with anyone who can't beat it.
  • Kickers count. With the same pair, the highest side card wins, but only the best five cards play. A sixth card never breaks a tie.
  • Side pots. A player who goes all-in can only win as much from each opponent as they put in. Extra bets between the other players go into a side pot.
  • Cards speak. At showdown your hand is what the cards show, even if you call it wrong.

Cash games vs tournaments

In a cash game the chips are real money, the blinds never change and you can leave whenever you like. In a tournament everyone pays the same buy-in for a stack of chips, the blinds keep rising and you play until you bust or win, with prizes for the top finishers. Short stacks in tournaments often switch to an all-in or fold strategy, covered in our push/fold chart.

What to learn next

Once the rules click, learn which starting hands to play from each position, practice with the free preflop trainer, and learn the basics of pot odds. Look up any word you don't know in the poker glossary. When you start playing for real money, log every session in the free Poker Tracking dashboard so you know whether you are actually winning.

Texas Hold'em rules FAQ

Do you have to use both hole cards in Texas Hold'em?

No. You make the best five-card hand from any combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards, so you can use both, one or neither. That is different from Omaha, where you must use exactly two.

Do suits matter in Texas Hold'em?

Only for making flushes and straight flushes. No suit is higher than another, so identical hands in different suits split the pot.

How many players can play Texas Hold'em?

From 2 up to 10 players at one table. Nine-handed and six-handed tables are the most common, and two-player games are called heads-up.

What is the difference between no-limit and limit Hold'em?

In no-limit you can bet any amount up to all of your chips at any time. In limit, bets and raises are fixed amounts, usually with a cap on the number of raises per round.