Learning how to play a game of Texas Hold 'em can seem much more difficult than it really is.

 

The game itself is logical and simple, requiring just a few minutes to learn. But to truly become a master, as the familiar saying goes, takes a lifetime.

 

This article provides all the information you need to start playing the game.

 

Each topic contains links in the text to more in-depth articles on that specific subject (the same links are available at the bottom of this page).

 

Before we get into describing the rules and game-play, here's a quick glossary of terms you'll encounter.

 

• Blinds: Short for "blind bets," these are the forced bets made before the cards are dealt. In Hold 'em, blinds take the place of the classic "ante."
• Burn Card: The card dealt face down before any community card is dealt.
• Button: Nickname for the player acting as the dealer in current hand.
• Check: Similar to a call, but no money is bet. If there is no raise preflop, the big blind may check.
• Fifth Street: See River.
• Flop: The first three community cards dealt.
• Fourth Street: See Turn.
• Preflop: Anything that occurs before the flop is dealt is preflop.
• River: The final (5th) community card dealt; also known as fifth street.
• Showdown: When players reveal their hands to discover the pot's winner.
• Turn: The fourth community card dealt; also known as fourth street.

 

Overview

 

Texas Hold 'em is a community card poker game, with game play focused as much on the betting as on the cards being played.

 

Although the rules and game play remain mostly the same, the end goal is slightly different depending on if you're playing a cash game or a tournament.

 

A Hold 'em tournament is the same as any other game of Hold 'em with a few added rules and twists. If you'd like to learn the rules unique to tournaments, read m ore elsewhere on this site.

 

Texas Holdem is played on a single table with two to 10 players. The goal is simple: win as many chips as you can, one pot at a time.

 

You win a pot by having the best hand, or by having all other players fold before the showdown.

 

The structure of Texas Hold 'em can be broken up into three main divisions:

 

• Setup
• Betting Rounds
• Showdown

 

Setup

 

Once you have your players sitting around the table, the first thing you need to have is chips. Before you can figure out what kind of chips to give each player, you need to understand how the game works a little better, so we'll get back to this.

 

For now, assume all players have chips in front of them.

 

The next step is picking the player who will start with the dealer button. Hold 'em is played with what's known as a rotating dealer, meaning a player will act as the dealer for one hand, handing the role of dealer to the player on their left when the hand is completed.

 

To choose the dealer, either deal every player one card, or spread the cards face down on the table and have every player choose one.

 

The player with the highest-valued card (aces are high for selecting a dealer) starts as the dealer.

 

If you're in a place with a professional dealer, or someone volunteers to always physically deal the cards, the dealer button will still rotate around the table.

 

Even though they're not physically dealing the cards, for all intents and purposes, the person with the button is viewed as being the dealer for the hand. Once the hand completes, the player with the dealer button will pass it to the player on their left.

 

Putting Out the Blinds

 

Now that you have a dealer, you need to put out the blinds.

 

There are two blinds in Holdem - a small blind and a big blind. The player directly to the left of the dealer puts out the small blind.

 

The big blind (exactly, or conveniently close to, double that of the small blind) is placed by the player to the left of the small blind.

 

The size of the blinds will dictate the stakes of the game you're about to play. Typically, you want players to buy in for no less than 100 times the size of the big blind.

 

If you want to buy in for $20, you should play with blinds 10¢/20¢, or for convenience, most people will play 10¢/25¢.

 

Back to chips: Once the blinds are set we know what kind of chips we'll need to play. (In the above example, we'd use 10¢ chips, 25¢ chips and maybe a few $1 chips.)

 

You want to give players enough chips in each denomination to allow the game to run smoothly.

 

Typically a player will need only 10% of their total chips in the smallest denomination, as they are only ever used to pay the small blind. For the most part, all betting will be done with chips larger than that of the small blind.

 

Once you have the blinds out, you're now ready to deal the first hand.

 

Game-Play and Betting Rounds

 

The person dealing the cards deals to the left of the player with the dealer button first, rotating around the table in a clockwise manner, giving each player one card at a time until each player has two cards. These are known as your hole cards.

 

A hand of Hold 'em consists of a minimum of one and a maximum of four betting rounds. A hand ends when all players but one have folded, or the fourth and final betting round completes with multiple players still in the hand - whichever comes first.

 

At that point, players enter into the showdown (to be explained in the next section).

 

Preflop

 

When all players receive their hole cards, you are now in the preflop betting round.

 

Each player must look at their cards and decide what action they would like to take. In Hold 'em, only one player can act at a time.

 

The preflop betting round starts with the player to the left of the big blind. This player has three options:

 

· Fold: They pay nothing to the pot and throw away their hand, waiting for the next deal to play again.

 

· Call: They match the amount of the big blind.

 

· Raise: They raise the bet by doubling the amount of the big blind. A player may raise more depending on the betting style being played.

 

Once a player has made their action, the player to the left of them gets their turn to act. Each player is given the same options: fold, call the bet of the player to their right (if the previous player raised, that is the amount you must call) or raise.

 

A raise is always the amount of one bet in addition to the amount of the previous bet, for example: if the big blind is 25¢, and the first player to act would like to raise, they put in a total of 50¢ (the big blind + one additional bet).

 

If the next player would like to reraise, they would put in a total of 75¢ (the previous bet + one additional bet).

 

A betting round ends when two conditions are met:

 

1. All players have had a chance to act.

 

2. All players who haven't folded have bet the same amount of money for the round.

 

Example Betting Round 1

 

There are five players at the table:

 

Player 1 - Button

 

Player 2 - Small blind (10¢)

 

Player 3 - Big blind (25¢)

 

Start of betting round

 

Player 4 - Calls the big blind (25¢)

 

Player 5 - folds

 

Player 1 - Calls the big blind (25¢)

 

Player 2 - Calls the big blind (since they already have 10¢ bet, they only have to add another 15¢, for a total of 25¢)

 

Player 3 - Checks (since they already have the bet matched, they do not need to add more money to call; this is called checking)

 

End of betting round

 

When Player 2 calls the big blind, all players now have the same amount of money in front of them, but Player 3 (the big blind) has not had a chance to act, so the betting round is not over.

 

Once Player 3 checks, both conditions are met, and the betting round is over.

 

Example Betting Round 2

 

There are five players at the table:

 

Player 1 - Button

 

Player 2 - Small blind (10¢)

 

Player 3 - Big blind (25¢)

 

Start of betting round

 

Player 4 - Calls the big blind (25¢)

 

Player 5 - Raises (50¢)

 

Player 1 - Folds

 

Player 2 - Folds

 

Player 3 - Reraises (they already have 25¢ in as the big blind. They complete the bet of 50¢, and add one additional bet for a total of 75¢)

 

Player 4 - Folds (their previous call of 25¢ is now in the pot)

 

Player 5 - Calls (matches the bet of Player 3 for a total of 75¢)

 

End of betting round

 

In this scenario all players had had a chance to act when Player 3 made the reraise. But all players did not have the same amount of money bet.

 

Once Player 4 folds, only Player 3 and Player 5 are left in the pot. When Player 5 calls, both conditions are met, and the betting round ends.

 

The Flop

 

Once the preflop betting round ends, the flop is dealt. This is done by dealing the top card in the deck face down on the table (it becomes the burn card), followed by three cards face up.

 

Once this has been dealt, the first post-flop betting round begins.

 

The rules of a post-flop betting round are the same as a preflop, with two small exceptions: The first player to act is the next player with a hand to the left of the dealer, and the first player to act can check or bet; as there has been no bet made, calling is free.

 

A bet on the flop is the amount of the big blind. In our game, a player must put out 25¢ to make a bet.

 

The Turn

 

Once the betting round on the flop completes, the dealer deals one card face down followed by a single card face up, also known as the "burn and turn." Once the turn has been dealt, the third betting round starts.

 

The third betting round is identical to the flop betting round with one single exception: The size of a bet for this round, and the final betting round, is doubled, meaning that to make a bet in our game will now cost a player 50¢.

 

The River

 

Assuming more than one player is left, having not folded on one of the previous streets, the river is now dealt. Dealing the river is identical as dealing the turn, with one card being dealt face down, followed by a single card face up.

 

This is the final street, and no more cards will be dealt in this hand. The betting round is identical to the betting round on the turn.

 

Showdown

 

Once the river betting round has been completed, the players now enter into the showdown. At this point, the best hand wins the pot. Here are the rules you need to know about a Hold 'em showdown:

 

· The player who bet on the river is the default first player to reveal their hand. If any other players choose to show their hand first, that is OK.

 

· If no betting happened on the river (all players checked), the player closest to the left of the dealer must open their hand first, continuing clockwise around the table.

 

· If a player is holding a losing hand, it is their option to reveal their cards or simply muck their hand and concede the pot.

 

Evaluating Hands

 

In Hold 'em you must make the best hand possible using any combination of your two cards and the five community cards on the table.

 

You can use both, one or none of your own cards in making your best hand. Here are some rules about evaluating a winning poker hand:

 

· The poker hand ranking order can be found elsewhere on this site. There are no exceptions to this ordering: a flush always beats a straight, and three of a kind always beats two pair.

 

· There are no hands used in Hold 'em other than the hands listed in this chart. For example, having three pairs is actually only "two pair," with the highest-valued two pair making your hand.

 

· Poker hands must be exactly five cards, and only those five cards are used to evaluate the winning hand. For example:

 

o if the board is 2♥ J♣ Q♣ K♠ A♦

 

o Player 1 holds T♠ 9♣

 

o Player 2 holds T♣ 2♣

 

Both players hold the very same hand (a straight from ten to ace). This means the pot is split between the two players. The remaining cards and the fact Player 1 also has a pair means nothing - only the best five-card hand factors into deciding the winner.

 

· If all remaining players have nothing (no pair or anything stronger), the winning hand is the hand with the highest-valued single card, meaning:

 

o A♣ 3♥ 4♦ 6♠ 7♠ is a better hand than K♠ Q♠ J♣ 9♣ 8♦

 

o A♣ J♥ 9♠ 8♦ 6♥ is a better hand than A♥ J♣ 9♦ 8♣ 2♠

 

· Suits are never used to evaluate the strength of a hand.

 

Once you determine the winning hand, that player receives the pot. The dealer passes the dealer button to his or her left and the two players to the left of the new dealer put out their big and small blinds respectively.

 

Random Rules

 

Raising

 

· When there are more than two players still in the hand, only one bet and three raises can be made in one betting round. Once the third raise is made the betting is "capped." Once betting is capped, players may only call or fold.

 

· A player must either declare their intent to raise verbally before making any actions, or bring the amount of chips equal to the total amount of their raise into play at the same time. A player is not allowed to place chips, return to their stack and place more chips. This is known as a string bet.

 

· Solutions to any other random situation you come across can be found on this site.

 

Buying Chips

 

· The minimum number of chips a player is allowed to buy before their first hand dealt is determined by the house rules governing the game. Typically a minimum is 50-100 times the big blind.

 

· There is no maximum to the number of chips a player may buy at any time.

 

· A player may reload, or add more chips to their stack, at any time between hands. Once a hand is started, a player may only use the chips they had in play at the beginning of the hand, during that hand. Any additional chips will not be "in play" until the next deal.

 

Hold 'em Betting Rules: No-Limit, Limit, Pot-Limit

 

Even though No-Limit Texas Hold 'em is the most popular form of poker being played today, there are still many players who would rather play a Limit or Pot-Limit variant instead.

 

In the world of poker, the popularity of No-Limit games is a relatively recent development. For many years poker was a Limit or Pot-Limit game. No-Limit only really took off once Doyle Brunson and his crew introduced the game to Las Vegas casinos.

 

Ever since, No-Limit has steadily increased in popularity, exploding into the spotlight with the 2003 WSOP Main Event, which amateur Chris Moneymaker won. Given that it's the most popular betting variation, it only makes sense to explain it first.

 

No-Limit Texas Hold 'em

 

People are drawn to No-Limit because of its unique mix of skill, chance and action, and because you can bet all of your chips at any point during the hand.

 

In Texas Hold 'em, players are always faced with the ability to choose one of three options:

 

· Check (or call).

 

· Bet (or raise).

 

· Fold. (In a scenario where you can check, folding makes no sense, but it's still an option.)

 

1. To call is simply to match the previous bet made (a check is the same thing, only when no bet has been made: in other words, a check is a call for free).

 

2. To fold is to throw away your hand and wait until the next deal to play again. Folding is always free.

 

3. If there has been no bet made yet, you have the option to bet. Once a bet is made, players to follow now have the option to raise the bet.

 

4. In No-Limit a minimum bet is equal to the size of the big blind, while a maximum bet is the total amount of all of your chips. (Only chips that were included in your stack before the cards were dealt for that hand count, meaning you can't add (or remove) chips during a hand.)

 

5. Once a bet has been made, the minimum you can raise is the size of the last bet. So if your opponent bets $5, the minimum raise you can make is $5 (for a total bet of $10). Again, the maximum raise is the total of whatever you have in front of you.

 

6. How big a No-Limit Hold 'em cash game is played is determined by its blind size. A $1/$2 game will have $1/$2 blinds, and the buy-in will vary from poker room to poker room.

 

7. Generally the minimum buy-in will be 20 big blinds (so $40 in our example), and the maximum will be 100 big blinds ($200), though there are some casinos that spread games with no maximum buy-in.

 

Fixed-Limit Hold 'em

 

The second most popular form of Texas Hold 'em is Limit.

 

Whereas No-Limit is a game of brute force where players play big stacks and run up huge bluffs, Fixed Limit Hold 'em is a more subtle, gentleman's game where players look to exploit small edges: a game of finesse and well-timed aggression.

 

1. Unlike in No-Limit where you can bet all your chips whenever you want, Limit Hold 'em plays with fixed betting limits.

 

2. The size of the game is determined by the bet size. If you are playing in a $4/$8 game the small bet is $4 and the big bet $8. The blinds will be $2 and $4. The big blind is always equal to the size of the small bet.

 

3. Play proceeds as it would in any Hold 'em game; however, you bet and raise in increments. Before the flop and on the flop you bet in increments of the small bet. For example:

 

o If you were the first to bet, you can only bet $4, and the next person could call or raise to a total of $8. Any player wanting to reraise after that can make it a total bet of $12.

 

o On the turn and river players bet in increments of the big bet. If you were to bet the turn it would be $8 and to raise it would be $16, etc.

 

4. In Fixed-Limit Hold 'em there is a set number of raises you can make before the betting is capped. Although it can vary from room to room, action is typically capped at four or five bets (always check the house rules before playing your first hand).

 

5. When betting is capped, it means that the players no longer have the option to raise; they can only call or fold until the next street is dealt.

 

Pot-Limit Hold 'em

 

Pot-Limit Hold 'em is a game in between  No-Limit and Fixed-Limit. You can't bet your stack whenever you want, but you can bet however much is in the pot at the time.

 

How you determine the maximum bet is by counting all the money in the pot and all of the bets on the table, including any call you would make before raising. (It sounds more complicated than it really is.)

 

Two examples for you:

 

1. You're first to act on the flop with a pot of $15. You have the option to check or bet. You can bet anywhere from as little as the amount of the big blind, to the full amount of the pot ($15). Any bet in between is a "legal bet."

 

2. You're second to act on the flop with a pot of $15. The first player bets $10. You now have the option to fold, call ($10) or raise.

 

o Your minimum raise is equal to the amount of the previous bet. In this hand your minimum raise is $10 ($10 + $10 for a total bet of $20).

 

o Your maximum raise is the amount of the pot. To do this, add up the pot + the bet + your call ($15 + $10 + $10 = $35). You are allowed to bet that total amount in addition to your call, meaning your total bet is $45 ($10 for the call + $35 for the size of the pot).

 

o You can raise any amount in between the minimum and maximum raise amounts.

 

Pot-Limit Hold 'em is not very popular, and is mostly seen only in some large tournaments (such as the WSOP), but the Pot-Limit betting structure is used in Pot-Limit Omaha.

 

But because Pot-Limit Omaha is rapidly becoming one of the most popular poker variations, it's a good idea to get acquainted with the Pot-Limit structure anyway.

 

Texas Hold 'em Tournament Rules

 

Every single day thousands and thousands of poker players try their luck against their friends, family and strangers in both online and live tournaments.

 

The idea behind tournament poker is that every player puts up a buy-in and gets tournament chips. Play goes on as normal with the blinds going up in regular pre-determined intervals and until one player is left with all the chips. Where you are eliminated is where you finish in the tournament.

 

In a tournament 10% to 20% of the field is paid out with most of the money reserved for the top spots. Because you can win so much more than your initial buy in big tournaments attract both pros and amateurs trying to make a big score.

 

Each room's rules vary slightly so it's always a good idea to brush up before the tournament starts. Here are some of the most standard rules for playing a poker tournament.

 

1. Entrance Fees - All entrance fees most be paid before play begins. Generally the house takes a 5%-10% fee for providing the tables and dealers and administering the game. This is true both live and online. For example in a $200+$20 tournament, $200 goes to the prize pool and $20 would go to the house.

 

2. Seat Assignment- Your seat will randomly be assigned to you. You will usually be given a card with your table and seat number on it.

 

That is your seat until a tournament director tells you otherwise. Unlike in cash games there are no seat changes.

 

3. Starting Stacks- When you arrive at the table your starting stack will be at your spot.

 

Tournament chips have no cash value, and you cannot cash out at any point during the tournament.

 

It's always a good idea to double check your chips against the posted starting stack to make sure you have the correct amount of chips.

 

The total amount of your starting stack varies from tournament to tournament.

 

4. Blind Levels - The way tournaments differ from cash games is that the blinds increase at regular intervals.

 

This is to force play and get the action going. You can usually get a sheet from a floor person that tells you the schedule of blind increases and what the blinds will be.

 

Online you can find this information in the tournament lobby.

 

It's a good idea to get familiar with the blind structure before playing. If the blinds increase and your dealer has already cut the cards, the blinds will increase on the next hand.

 

5. The Deal - The deal proceeds exactly as it does in a cash game. The two players to the left of the button are the small blind and the big blind. After each hand the button moves one seat to the left.

 

The button is determined in the first hand completely randomly.

 

6. Absent Players - All players must be dealt into the hand and their blinds/antes forced into the pot whether they are at the table or not.

 

If the player is not present by the time the second card is dealt, his or her hand will be ruled dead.

 

7. Breaking Tables - As players are eliminated the tournament director will start breaking tables in a pre-determined order. If your table breaks, you will be assigned randomly to an empty seat at one of the remaining tables.

 

8. All-in Bets - A player who declares himself all in plays for all of the chips in front of him. If the other player has more he is only entitled to an amount equal to his own stack. The same goes for an all-in player that has less than his required blind. He is only entitled to what he put in.

 

9. All-in confrontations - When two players are all in and the action is completed, both hands must be exposed face up before the rest of the board is run.

 

10. Calling the Clock - A player can request the pit boss to force a player to choose an action in a set amount of time (typically 90 seconds). If the player fails to act in that time, his or her hand is folded. Only a player seated at the table at the time the current hand was dealt can call the clock.

 

11. Multiple Busts - If two players go broke on the same hand the player with the greater amount of chips at the start of the hand finishes in the higher position.

 

12. Showing Cards - Intentionally exposing a card is illegal in tournament play and a hand can be ruled dead as well as a time penalty issued.

 

13. Inappropriate play- Inappropriate play such as swearing and or throwing cards is punishable by a penalty.

 

14. Coloring up - The lowest chip denomination in play will be removed from the table when it is no longer needed in the blind or ante structure.

 

All lower-denomination chips that are of sufficient quantity for a new chip will be changed up directly. I.E if you have five $25 chips you would get one $100 chip and have one odd chip. The method for removal of odd chips is as follows:

 

o Starting at seat 1, (if there is a professional dealer, this will be the player directly to the dealer's left) deal this player one card face up for every odd chip they hold. Continue clockwise around the table until all players have one card for each of their odd chips.

 

o Add the $ amount of all odd chips together. You want to replace the odd chips with chips of the next lowest denomination. For example: If there are eight $25 chips, you want to replace them with two $100 chips.

 

o If there are an odd number of odd chips on the table: If the amount of the final chips is equal to half, or more, of the value of the next lowest chip, these chips are replaced by the higher value chip. If the total value is less than half, the odd chips are simply removed from the table.

 

o Give the first replaced chip to the player with the highest value card by rank. With every player only eligible to receive one chip, continue giving a chip to the player with the highest value card until all chips are gone.

 

This is known as a chip race.

 

15. Hand-for-hand play - As play approaches the bubble (when the money starts)play may go hand for hand. This means that all tables will deal a hand and the next hand will not be dealt until all tables have completed their hand.

 

16. Heads up- When two players are left you have reached heads up play. In this scenario the small blind is the button and acts first before the flop but last on all ensuing streets.

 

It is up to you to know the basic poker rules when playing in a tournament. Not properly educating yourself can cause you to unknowingly commit an infraction and get penalized or even disqualified.