How to Play Texas Hold'em
How to Play Texas Hold'em
Texas Hold'em is a friendly community-card game where everyone builds a hand from cards in front of them and cards shared on the table. You need a normal deck of cards, a few people, and a way to record points. If you need one, you can find a regular deck of playing cards from Playmore. This guide uses one common home-game version, so families and regions may have small house-rule differences.
Quick facts
| Fact | Rule |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–10 |
| Cards | One standard 52-card deck |
| Private cards | Two cards for each player |
| Shared cards | Five community cards |
| Goal | Make the best five-card hand, or be the last player who has not folded |
| Scoring | Use chips, counters, or written points instead of points |
What you are trying to do
Each player receives two private cards, called hole cards. Five face-up community cards are gradually placed in the middle. These cards belong to everyone. At the end, you make the strongest possible five-card poker hand from your two hole cards and the five community cards. You may use both hole cards, one, or neither. If the five cards in the middle already make your best hand, you are “playing the board.”
You can also win before the end. If every other active player folds, meaning they give up their cards during a round, you win the points in the middle without showing your hand.
What you need
Gather two to ten players and a standard 52-card deck. Choose one person to start as the dealer. You also need small objects for points, such as buttons, tokens, coins used only as counters, or slips of paper. Agree on a starting score and a simple point size before the first hand. For an easy first game, give everyone 100 points and use a small blind of 1 point and a big blind of 2 points.
A blind is a forced starting contribution that begins the action. The small blind is usually half the big blind. A pot is the pile of points contributed during the hand.
Set it up
Give the dealer a marker, such as a spare card. After every hand, move the marker one player clockwise. The player immediately to the dealer’s left places the small blind, and the next player places the big blind. With two players, the dealer posts the small blind and the other player posts the big blind.
Shuffle thoroughly and deal one card at a time face down, starting with the player to the dealer’s left, until everyone has two cards. Players may look at their own hole cards but should keep them hidden. The dealer keeps the remaining deck nearby for the community cards.
How to play
- Start the first round. The player to the left of the big blind acts first. On a turn, a player may fold, which means leaving this hand; call, which means matching the current contribution; or raise, which means increasing it. A player may check, or pass without adding points, only when nobody has contributed in that round. The big blind acts last in this first round and may raise.
- Deal the flop. When the first round ends, the dealer sets aside the top card face down as a burn card, then turns three cards face up in the middle. This group is the flop. The first remaining active player clockwise from the dealer acts next.
- Play the second round. Players now act again, beginning with that first active player. They may check if no contribution has been made, or fold, call, or raise if there has been a contribution. Continue around the table until all remaining players have matched the current amount or folded.
- Deal the turn. Burn one card, then place one more community card face up. This fourth community card is the turn. Play another round, again beginning with the first active player clockwise from the dealer.
- Deal the river. Burn one card, then place the fifth and final community card face up. This card is the river. Everyone gets one last round to check, fold, call, or raise.
- Hold the showdown. If two or more players remain, they reveal both hole cards. Each player chooses their best five-card hand from all seven available cards. Compare hands using the ranking below. The player with the highest hand wins the pot. If hands are exactly equal, split the pot as evenly as possible and note who receives any leftover point.
For a no-points home game, keep the action simple: allow any number of raises, but agree that a player may never contribute more points than they started with. If someone runs out of points, they can sit out until the next deal, or the group can agree to give everyone the same new score between hands.
How you win
From highest to lowest, the standard hand rankings are: royal flush (10, jack, queen, king, ace in one suit); straight flush (five consecutive cards in one suit); four of a kind (four cards of the same rank); full house (three of one rank and two of another); flush (five cards of one suit); straight (five consecutive ranks in any suits); three of a kind; two pair; one pair; and high card, when none of the other patterns is made.
When players have the same type of hand, compare the important cards from highest downward. For example, a pair of queens beats a pair of jacks. A straight or flush is compared by its highest card. If every card in the best five-card hands matches, the result is a tie. An ace can be high or can be low in the five-card straight ace-2-3-4-5.
Easy first-game tips
Keep your hole cards low on the table so nobody accidentally sees them, and say your action clearly: “check,” “call,” “raise to 6,” or “fold.” One player can write each person’s score after every hand. Before dealing, remind everyone which player has the dealer marker and who posted the blinds.
Do not feel pressured to play every hand. A pair is useful, but the community cards can help another player more. Look at the whole five-card hand, not just the two cards in your hand. Most importantly, take turns, pause to explain unfamiliar words, and treat mistakes as part of learning.
Quick questions
Can I use only one of my hole cards?
Yes. You can use both hole cards, one hole card, or neither. Your final hand must always contain exactly five cards.
What happens if everyone folds?
The last player who has not folded wins the pot immediately. That player does not need to show the hole cards.