Playing Texas Hold’em
| Updated: Poker has many variations, with differences in rules and betting structures. Texas Hold’em is among the most popular and commonly played variations of this game of skill. It shares certain characteristics with other widespread variants, such as Seven Card Stud. The object of the game is simple: to win your opponents’ chips.
Texas Hold’em and Seven Card Stud use the same hand rankings, and players aim to form the best possible five-card hand. At the start of a Texas Hold’em game, each participant receives two hole cards dealt face down. This marks the beginning of the first betting round. Five community cards are then dealt in three stages: the Flop, the Turn, and the River. These cards are available for all players to use. Each player’s goal is to form the highest-ranking hand possible using any combination of their hole cards and the community cards.
This article covers the Texas Hold’em basics that players need to know. It begins with the rules of this popular casino game before explaining the hand rankings.
-
Sign Up Bonus
Up to $150
100% Bonus!9.7 -
Sign Up Bonus
Up to $100
100% Bonus!9.4 -
Sign Up Bonus
Up to $150
100% Bonus!9.3
The Button
The game of Texas Hold’em uses a standard 52-card deck. In gambling establishments, the dealer does not participate as a player or place bets. Instead, the dealer shuffles the deck, deals the cards, and oversees the action and showdown. The dealer button helps determine the order of action for each hand.
A small plastic disc, known as the dealer button, marks the nominal dealer position. The button moves clockwise after each hand, ensuring that every player takes a turn in each position. This prevents certain players from retaining a permanent positional advantage. Acting early can be a disadvantage because a player has less information about what their opponents will do.
The Blinds
At the start of each Texas Hold’em hand, two players must post forced bets so that a pot can begin to accumulate before any cards are dealt. These forced bets are known as the small blind and the big blind. The player to the left of the dealer button assumes the role of the small blind and typically places half of the minimum bet at the table. The player to the left of the small blind posts the full minimum bet, known as the big blind. The big blind is therefore typically twice the size of the small blind, as in a game with $10 and $20 blinds.
Pre-Flop
Once the two players have posted the small and big blinds, the dealer gives each player two hole cards. Each player receives two cards dealt face down before the first betting round, known as the pre-flop, begins. The hole cards are dealt one at a time to each participant, beginning with the player immediately to the left of the button, who has posted the small blind.
After everyone has received two hole cards, each player must act in turn and choose from several betting options. The player sitting to the left of the big blind acts first. Players can call by matching the big blind, fold by surrendering their hole cards and leaving the hand, or raise by increasing the current bet. The first players to act cannot check because the big blind is already an active bet.
The Flop
Once all players have acted during the pre-flop round, the dealer burns, or discards, the top card of the deck. A new betting round begins after three community cards, known as the Flop, are dealt face up in the center of the table. Players then evaluate their hands. They may check or bet if no wager has been made, or call, raise, or fold if facing a bet. A player may bet with a strong hand or as a bluff.
The Turn
Once the second betting round is complete, the dealer burns another card from the top of the deck and deals the fourth community card face up next to the Flop. This card is known as the Turn or, less commonly, Fourth Street. All players still in the hand can again choose from the same betting options. If all participants check, the betting round ends, and the remaining players proceed to the fifth and final community card without adding more chips to the pot.
The River
The fifth and final community card dealt face up in the center of the table is called the River or, less commonly, Fifth Street. It is dealt after the dealer burns another card from the top of the deck, marking the start of the final betting round. Each player still in the hand may choose to fold, call, raise, bet, or check, depending on the preceding action.
The Showdown
Once all five community cards are on the table and the final betting round is complete, the showdown begins. Players reveal their hole cards to determine who has the best hand, which must always consist of exactly five cards. At this point, several hand combinations are possible.
A player’s final hand may consist of three community cards and both hole cards, or one hole card combined with four community cards. On rare occasions, players can use all five community cards on the board to form their hand. This scenario can result in players splitting the pot because ties are possible.
The player with the highest-ranking five-card hand at the table is awarded the pot. When two players have the same type of hand, kicker cards may be used to break the tie. If both players’ five-card hands are equal in rank, the pot is split between them.
Hand Rankings
The hand rankings explained below are not specific to Texas Hold’em. They also apply to many other forms of poker. Understanding these rankings is essential for evaluating hands and determining which player wins the pot. The best possible pre-flop starting hand in Texas Hold’em, before any community cards have been dealt, is a pair of Aces.
The rankings below are listed from strongest to weakest.
Royal Flush
A Royal Flush is the strongest possible hand in poker. It comprises five consecutive cards of the same suit, from 10 through Ace.
Straight Flush
A Straight Flush is also quite rare. It consists of any five consecutive cards of the same suit that do not form a Royal Flush.
Four of a Kind
Four of a Kind, also referred to as “quads,” includes four cards of the same rank, one from each suit. The hand is completed by one additional card.
Full House
A Full House consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another matching rank. If two players have a Full House, the one with the higher Three of a Kind wins the hand.
Flush
A Flush consists of five cards of the same suit, regardless of their ranks. If two players have a Flush, their highest cards are compared to determine the winner.
Straight
A Straight consists of five consecutive cards from more than one suit.
Three of a Kind
Three of a Kind, also known as “trips,” includes three cards of the same rank in different suits. The hand is completed by two side cards of different ranks.
Two Pair
Two Pair consists of two distinct pairs of cards with matching ranks and one additional card.
One Pair
One Pair consists of two cards of the same rank, with the remainder of the hand made up of three unrelated cards.
High Card
High Card is the lowest-ranking poker hand. Its value is determined by the highest card in the hand.