How to Play Texas Hold’em Poker

Texas Hold’em is the world’s most played poker variant, the game of the World Series of Poker Main Event, most live cardrooms, and the majority of online poker sites. If you understand one poker game, make it this one. The rules take about ten minutes to learn. Playing well takes considerably longer, but the basics are genuinely accessible.

The Setup

A standard Hold’em game is played with a 52-card deck. Each player receives two private cards (“hole cards” or “pocket cards”) dealt face-down. Five community cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table over three betting rounds. Every player uses any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards to make the best possible five-card hand.

Before cards are dealt, two players post mandatory bets called the “blinds.” The player immediately to the left of the dealer button posts the small blind; the next player posts the big blind (usually double the small blind). These ensure there’s money in the pot before any action.

The Four Betting Rounds

Pre-Flop

Each player receives two hole cards. Action starts with the player to the left of the big blind (“under the gun”) and proceeds clockwise. Options: fold, call the big blind amount, or raise. The big blind gets a final option to check or raise if no one else raised.

The Flop

Three community cards are dealt face-up. Action starts with the first active player to the left of the button and goes clockwise. Options: check (no bet), bet, call, raise, or fold.

The Turn

A fourth community card is dealt. Same betting structure as the flop. In fixed-limit Hold’em the bet size doubles on the turn; in no-limit, players can bet any amount up to their entire stack.

The River

The fifth and final community card is dealt. Final betting round. If multiple players remain, a showdown occurs: all remaining players reveal their hands, and the best five-card hand wins the pot.

Position: Why It Matters

The dealer button determines who acts last in post-flop betting rounds. Acting last is a significant advantage, you’ve seen what everyone else has done before you have to decide. The player “on the button” (dealer position) has the best position post-flop.

Early position (first to act) is the most difficult. You have no information about what your opponents will do. Late position (button or cutoff) lets you make decisions with maximum information. Strong players play more hands from late position and fewer from early position for exactly this reason.

Starting Hands

The biggest mistake new players make is playing too many hands. Most Hold’em hands should be folded pre-flop. The best starting hands are pocket pairs (especially high pairs like AA, KK, QQ, JJ), suited connectors (cards of the same suit in consecutive rank, like 8♠9♠), and high-card combinations (AK, AQ, AJ, KQ).

Hands like 72 offsuit, 83 offsuit, and other low, mismatched cards are nearly always losing hands and should be folded without hesitation. Being selective pre-flop is the foundation of winning poker, you can’t make good decisions on later streets if you started with junk.

The Showdown

If more than one player remains after the final betting round, all active players reveal their hole cards. The player with the best five-card hand (using any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards) wins the pot. Players can also “play the board,” using all five community cards as their hand, though this is rarely advantageous.

In the event of tied hands, the pot is split equally. Suits are never used as a tiebreaker in standard Hold’em.