Texas Hold'em Rules
Blinds, betting rounds, the board, and showdown - the full rules explained in plain language.
Quick answer: each player gets two private hole cards, and up to five shared community cards (the flop, turn, and river) are dealt in the middle. There are four betting rounds - pre-flop, flop, turn, and river - and whoever makes the best five-card hand from any combination of their hole cards and the board wins the pot at showdown.
The Basics
- Texas Hold'em is played with a standard 52-card deck. Each player is dealt two private cards ('hole cards'), and up to five community cards are dealt face-up in the middle of the table for everyone to share.
- The goal is to make the best possible five-card hand using any combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards - including using none of your hole cards at all ('playing the board') if the community cards alone make a better hand.
- A hand ends either at showdown, where the best hand shown wins, or earlier if every other player folds and one player is left uncontested.
Two private hole cards, plus five shared community cards - the flop, turn, and river.
Blinds & The Button
- Instead of everyone posting an ante, Hold'em uses two forced bets called blinds, posted by the two players directly to the left of the dealer button before any cards are dealt: the small blind and the big blind (typically half and full the minimum bet).
- The dealer button is a marker that rotates one seat clockwise after every hand, determining who's small blind, who's big blind, and the order of action for that hand - so over time, every player takes a turn in every position.
- Being 'on the button' is the most advantageous position at the table, since the button acts last on every betting round after the first.
The button rotates clockwise each hand, followed by the small blind, then the big blind.
The Deal
- Starting with the player to the left of the button, each player is dealt two hole cards face-down, one at a time, going clockwise around the table.
- Hole cards are private - only you can see and act on your own two cards until (and unless) you reach showdown and choose to reveal them.
The Four Betting Rounds
- Pre-flop: after hole cards are dealt, betting starts with the player left of the big blind and continues clockwise. This is the only round where two players (the blinds) have already put money in before acting.
- The Flop: the first three community cards are dealt face-up together. A new betting round starts, this time beginning with the first active player left of the button.
- The Turn: a single fourth community card is dealt, followed by another betting round using the same order as the flop.
- The River: the fifth and final community card is dealt, followed by the last betting round before showdown.
Betting Actions
- Fold: discard your hand and forfeit any claim to the pot - you're done for that hand.
- Check: pass the action to the next player without betting, only possible if nobody has bet yet on that round.
- Bet: put chips into the pot when nobody else has bet yet that round.
- Call: match the amount of the current bet to stay in the hand.
- Raise: increase the size of the current bet, requiring everyone after you to call the new higher amount, re-raise, or fold.
- All-in: bet every remaining chip you have - in No-Limit games, this can happen at any point, for any amount.
The Showdown
- If more than one player remains after the river betting round, the hand goes to showdown - the last aggressive bettor (or the first active player left of the button if nobody bet) shows their hand first, then play continues clockwise.
- Each player makes their best possible five-card hand from their two hole cards plus the five community cards. The best hand shown wins the pot; identical hands split it.
- If everyone folds except one player before the river even finishes, that player wins the pot immediately without needing to show their cards.
Not sure which five-card hand beats which? See the Poker Hand Rankings page for every hand ranked from Royal Flush to High Card, with examples and odds.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cards does each player get in Texas Hold'em?
Each player gets two private hole cards, dealt face-down. Combined with the five shared community cards, everyone has access to seven cards total to build their best possible five-card hand from.
What's the difference between No-Limit, Pot-Limit, and Limit Hold'em?
They differ only in how much you're allowed to bet or raise. No-Limit lets you bet any amount up to your entire stack at any time. Pot-Limit caps a bet or raise at the current size of the pot. Limit Hold'em uses fixed bet sizes that double after the turn, with a set cap on the number of raises per round.
What is 'playing the board'?
It's when the five community cards alone already form a better hand than anything you could make by including your own hole cards - in that case, your hand is simply the board itself, and you'll split the pot with anyone else at showdown who's also just playing the board.
What happens if two players have the exact same hand?
The pot is split evenly between them. This happens most often when both players end up 'playing the board,' or when their five-card hands are otherwise identical in rank once kickers are compared.
Do you have to show your cards at showdown?
If you're the last aggressor and everyone else folds before showdown, no - you win without showing. At an actual showdown with more than one player remaining, whoever's required to show first (usually the last aggressive bettor) must table their hand; after that, anyone still live in the hand can request to see a hand that bet or called on the river.
Why does position matter so much in Hold'em?
Because you act after seeing what everyone before you does on every betting round except pre-flop. Acting last (on the button) gives you more information before you have to decide, which is a real, measurable advantage - it's why the button rotates every hand instead of staying fixed.
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