Two private, five shared
Every player gets two of their own. Five shared cards are laid in the middle over three rounds. You bet on your chances, and at the end the best five-card hand wins the .
At a glance
Setup
Chips and a dealer button
Two to ten players, a standard deck without jokers, and chips. A dealer button marks who deals; it moves one seat left every hand.
The deal
Blinds, then two cards each
Before the deal, the player left of the button puts in the small blind and the next player the big blind, usually twice as much. These are the . Then everyone gets two cards face down.
Here East has the button, so you post the small blind and West the big blind. You hold the ace and king of spades.
A turn
Your options
Betting goes clockwise. On your turn you can:
- fold: give up this hand
- check: pass, only if nobody has bet
- call: match the current bet
- bet or raise: put in more
The first round starts left of the big blind.
Folding is a perfectly good hand.
The flop
Three shared cards are turned face up: the . Another betting round follows, starting with the first active player left of the button.
King of diamonds, 7 of spades, 2 of hearts: you have a pair of kings.
The turn and the river
A fourth card (the turn) and a fifth (the river) follow, each with its own betting round.
Queen of spades and 9 of spades: you now have five spades. West and East fold; North stays in.
Special cards
Best five of seven
Your hand is the best five cards out of your two and the five on the table. You may use both, one or none of your own cards.
Ace, king, queen, 9 and 7, all spades: an ace-high flush.
Read the board, not just your cards.
Scoring
Hand rankings
| Royal flush | A-K-Q-J-10, one suit |
| Straight flush | five in a row, one suit |
| Four of a kind | four of a rank |
| Full house | three + a pair |
| Flush | five of one suit |
| Straight | five in a row (ace high or low) |
| Three of a kind | three of a rank |
| Two pair | two pairs |
| One pair | two of a rank |
| High card | nothing else |
Showdown
If more than one player is left after the last bet, the hands are shown: the . North has three 7s, but your flush ranks higher. The pot is yours.
If the best hands are equal, they share the pot.
Winning
Last player with chips
Move the button and play the next hand. In a tournament you play until one player has all the chips; at home you can also stop at an agreed time and count.
Point at a dot to see why it matters
Variants and house rules
- No-limit
- You may bet any amount up to all your chips at any time. The most common form today.
- Fixed limit
- Bets and raises come in set amounts, usually doubling for the turn and river.
- Pot-limit
- You may bet or raise up to the size of the pot.
Tips from the table
- Play fewer hands: pairs and high cards like ace-king are worth playing, most other hands are worth folding.
- Late position is an advantage: acting last shows you what everyone else did first.
- Before you call, look at the board and ask which hands could beat yours.
Print and play
Texas Hold’em: quick answers
How many cards do you get in Texas Hold’em?
Two private hole cards. Five shared cards are dealt in the middle: three on the flop, one on the turn, one on the river.
What beats what in poker?
From high to low: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card.
Do you have to use your own cards in Hold’em?
No. Your hand is the best five of the seven cards, using both, one or none of your hole cards.
Decks we like
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