Texas Hold'em
The king. Two hole cards, five community cards, everyone plays.
Object of the game
Make the best five-card hand you can, from any combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards on the board. You can play the board (use all five community cards and neither hole card), play one (use one hole card and four community cards), or play two (use both hole cards and three community cards). Whichever combination makes the strongest hand is what you're playing.
The blinds and the button
Before any cards are dealt, two players post forced bets called the blinds. The player to the left of the dealer button posts the small blind. The player one seat further left posts the big blind, usually double the small blind. The button moves clockwise one seat every hand, so the blinds rotate through every seat at the table.
The four streets
Preflop. Everyone gets two hole cards, dealt face down. Action starts with the player to the left of the big blind (under the gun). Each player in turn folds, calls the big blind, or raises. When the raising stops and everyone left in the hand has put the same amount in, we move to the flop.
The flop. Three community cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. Action starts with the first player left of the button. Check, bet, call, raise, fold, in that order of preference.
The turn. A fourth community card. Another round of betting.
The river. A fifth and final community card. A final round of betting.
Showdown. If two or more players are still in the hand after the river betting round, cards go on their backs. Best hand wins. If two hands tie, the pot is split.
Hand rankings, high to low
- Royal flush, A K Q J T of the same suit.
- Straight flush, five cards in sequence, all the same suit.
- Four of a kind, plus a kicker.
- Full house, three of a kind plus a pair.
- Flush, five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.
- Straight, five cards in sequence, mixed suits. Ace can be high or low.
- Three of a kind, plus two kickers.
- Two pair, plus one kicker.
- One pair, plus three kickers.
- High card, five separate ranks, mixed suits.
Kickers break ties, top kicker first. Two players holding A K on an ace-high board split the pot if the kicker plays; two players holding A Q vs A J on an ace-high board see the queen kicker win.
Betting limits
No-limit hold'em. You can bet any amount from the minimum (usually one big blind) up to your whole stack. This is the format almost every televised final table uses, and the format almost every online cash game runs.
Pot-limit hold'em. The maximum bet or raise is the size of the current pot, including any calls in front of you plus the bet you'd need to make to see the flop. Less common than PLO but still spread in some rooms.
Fixed-limit hold'em. Bets and raises are fixed sizes, doubled on the turn and river. If it's a 2/4 game, preflop and flop bets are 2, turn and river bets are 4. Standard low-stakes home-game format decades ago; now mostly online at $0.50/$1 and $1/$2.
Position matters
Acting last on every street after the flop is worth a lot. It means you see what every other player did before you decide what to do. Six-max cash tables usually have the button (BTN), cutoff (CO), hijack (HJ), lojack (LJ) or under the gun (UTG), plus the two blinds (SB, BB). Nine-max adds UTG+1, UTG+2, and middle position (MP) seats.
Common table etiquette
- Act in turn. Folding out of turn gives information to players still to act.
- Keep your cards on the table, visible, and in front of your chips.
- Announce your action clearly. "Raise to twelve" is unambiguous. Silent chip-splashing invites disputes.
- String bets are dead. Put your whole raise in with one motion or announce the size first.
- One player to a hand. No advice, no commentary while a hand is live.
Common mistakes new players make
- Playing too many hands preflop. Fold more.
- Slow-playing big hands into scary boards. If you have top set on a two-flush board, bet.
- Calling the river with medium-strength hands and no plan for what beats you.
- Sizing bets inconsistently. Betting 1/3 pot with your bluffs and 3/4 pot with your value hands is a giveaway.
Rules explained by the PokerGods editorial team. Reviewed against the 2026 Tournament Directors Association rules and standard casino floor procedure. Have a rules dispute? Email the desk via contact.
More on the site
- Strategy hub: learn the theory once you know the rules.
- Calculators: 22 free tools for the math side of every hand.
- Today's puzzle: put the rules to work on a live spot.
