Texas Hold’em rules

The goal

Make the best five-card hand from your two cards and five shared cards, or make everyone else fold.

Setup

Two to ten players, one 52-card deck without jokers, and chips. A dealer button moves one seat left every hand.

The deal

Before the deal, two forced bets called blinds: the player left of the button puts in the small blind, the next player the big blind (usually twice as much). Then everyone gets two private cards (hole cards) face down.

A turn

• On your turn: fold (give up the hand), check (pass, only if nobody has bet), call (match the current bet), bet or raise (put in more).
• A betting round ends when everyone still in has put in the same amount. If everyone else folds, the last player takes the pot.
• The first betting round starts left of the big blind.
• The flop: three shared cards face up, then a betting round starting with the first player still in, left of the button.
• The turn (a fourth shared card) and the river (a fifth), each followed by a betting round.

Special cards

• Your hand is the best five of seven cards: you may use both, one or none of your hole cards.

Scoring

• Hands from best to worst: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card.
• If more than one player is left after the last bet, the best hand at the showdown takes the pot. Equal hands share it.

Winning

In a tournament, play until one player has all the chips; at home, stop at an agreed time and count.

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.