How to play Texas Hold'em: the rules, step by step
Texas Hold'em takes about ten minutes to learn. Everyone gets two cards of their own, five shared cards are dealt in the middle, and you make the best five-card hand you can. You win a pot by having the best hand at the end, or by betting so that everyone else folds.
The short version
- Two players post forced bets called the blinds.
- Everyone is dealt two cards face down.
- There's a round of betting (preflop).
- Three shared cards are dealt face up (the flop), then another round of betting.
- A fourth shared card (the turn), and a round of betting.
- A fifth shared card (the river), and a last round of betting.
- Players still in show their cards (the showdown). The best five-card hand takes the pot.
A hand can end at any point: if everyone but one player folds, that player wins the pot without showing a card.
The button and the blinds
One player has the dealer button. It marks who acts last after the flop, and it moves one seat to the left after every hand so everyone takes a turn in each position.
The player to the left of the button posts the small blind, and the next player posts the big blind, usually twice the small blind. In a 5/10 game the small blind is 5 chips and the big blind is 10. Blinds make sure there is always something in the pot to play for.
Two players only? Heads-up has its own rule: the button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop, then acts last on every round after.
What you can do on your turn
- Fold: give up your cards and any chips you've already put in.
- Check: pass the action without betting. Only possible when nobody has bet in this round (or you're the big blind and nobody raised).
- Bet: put chips in when nobody else has yet this round.
- Call: match the current bet to stay in.
- Raise: increase the bet. Everyone else then has to call the new amount, raise again, or fold.
A betting round ends when everyone still in the hand has put in the same amount (or is all-in), and everyone has had a chance to act.
The four betting rounds
Preflop
After the hole cards are dealt, the action starts with the player to the left of the big blind and goes clockwise. The big blind counts as a bet, so the choices are to call it, raise or fold. If nobody raises, the big blind acts last and can check or raise.
The flop
Three community cards are dealt face up. From here on, betting starts with the first player still in to the left of the button, and the button acts last. Acting last is an advantage because you see what everyone else does first.
The turn
A fourth community card. Another round of betting, same order.
The river
The fifth and last community card, and the last round of betting.
How much can you bet?
Most home games and nearly all online games with friends are no-limit: on your turn you can bet any amount up to every chip you have in front of you.
- Minimum bet: one big blind.
- Minimum raise: at least the size of the last bet or raise. If someone bets 20, you must raise to at least 40. If they then re-raise to 100 (a raise of 60), the next raise must be to at least 160.
- Maximum: all your chips, which is called going all-in.
All-ins and side pots
You can never be forced out of a hand because you don't have enough chips to call. You go all-in with what you have, and you can win only as much from each opponent as you put in yourself.
When players with more chips keep betting, their extra chips go into a side pot that the all-in player can't win. Example: Ana is all-in for 100, and Ben and Cal each put in 300. The main pot is 300 (100 from each), and all three can win it. The side pot is 400 (the extra 200 from Ben and from Cal), and only Ben or Cal can win that.
If everyone left in the hand is all-in, or all but one player is, there is no more betting. The cards are turned face up and the rest of the board is dealt out.
The showdown
If two or more players are left after the river betting, they show their cards. Each player's hand is the best five cards from the seven available: their two hole cards plus the five on the board. You can use both of your cards, one, or none.
The highest hand wins the pot. If hands are exactly equal, the pot is split. See the poker hand rankings chart for what beats what and how kickers work.
A sample hand
Four players, blinds 5/10. Dee has the button. Eli posts the small blind (5) and Fay the big blind (10).
- Preflop: Gus is first to act and raises to 30. Dee calls on the button. Eli folds. Fay calls 20 more. The pot is 95.
- Flop K♥8♠3♦: Fay checks. Gus bets 50. Dee folds. Fay calls. The pot is 195.
- Turn 2♣: both check.
- River 9♠: Fay checks, Gus bets 100, Fay calls. The pot is 395.
- Showdown: Gus shows A♠K♣ for a pair of kings with an ace kicker. Fay shows K♦J♥, also a pair of kings, but with a jack kicker. Gus wins 395.
Table manners that keep a game friendly
- Act in turn. Folding or betting before it's your turn gives other players information they shouldn't have.
- Don't talk about a hand you've folded while it's still being played.
- Keep the game moving. A turn timer helps: 30 seconds is plenty for most decisions.
- Agree the settings before you start: blinds, starting chips, and whether players who run out can rebuy.
Online, most of this is handled for you. One Room Games deals, enforces turn order and minimum raises, builds side pots, and names the winning hand, so a table of beginners can play a correct game from the first hand. Here's how to set up a game with friends.
Common questions
How many cards do you get in Texas Hold'em?
Each player gets two private cards (hole cards). Five shared cards are dealt face up in the middle over three rounds: three on the flop, one on the turn and one on the river.
Who goes first in Texas Hold'em?
Before the flop, the player to the left of the big blind acts first. On the flop, turn and river, the first player still in the hand to the left of the dealer button acts first, and the button acts last.
What is the minimum raise?
In no-limit Hold'em a raise must be at least as big as the previous bet or raise in that round. If the big blind is 10 and nobody has raised, the smallest raise is to 20. If someone raises to 30, the next raise must be to at least 50.
How do blinds work with two players?
Heads-up, the dealer button posts the small blind and the other player posts the big blind. The button acts first before the flop and last on every round after it.
How many people can play Texas Hold'em?
From 2 to 10 at one table with a single deck. Most home games are best with 5 to 8. One Room Games seats up to 9 at a table.