How to Play Texas Hold'em: Complete Rules for Beginners

Texas Hold'em is a poker game where each player gets two private cards and shares five community cards, and the goal is to make the best five-card hand or force everyone else to fold. It is the most widely played form of poker in the world, and the rules are simple enough to learn in one sitting. This guide walks you through every step, from the blinds to the showdown, so you can sit down at a table or open an app and play with confidence.

What do you need to play Texas Hold'em?

You need a standard 52-card deck, a group of 2 to 10 players, and chips or a scorekeeping method. One player acts as the dealer for each hand. In a home game the deal rotates. In a casino or app, a fixed dealer deals every hand, but a marker called the button still moves around the table to show whose turn it is to be in the dealer position.

Each player receives two private cards, called hole cards. Five community cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table over the course of the hand. You build your final hand using any combination of your two hole cards and the five shared cards.

What are the blinds and the button?

Before any cards are dealt, two players post forced bets called blinds. These bets seed the pot and give players a reason to compete for chips.

• The button is a marker that shows the dealer position. It moves one seat clockwise after every hand.
• The small blind is the player directly to the left of the button. They post the smaller forced bet.
• The big blind is the player to the left of the small blind. They post the larger forced bet, usually double the small blind.

The size of the blinds sets the stakes. A game with a 1 and 2 chip blind structure is called a 1/2 game. Where you sit relative to the button matters a great deal, because it decides when you act. To understand why seat order is so important, read our guide to position. In tournaments the blinds rise on a timer, and you can run one yourself with the blinds timer.

How is a hand of Texas Hold'em dealt?

After the blinds are posted, the dealer gives each player two hole cards face down, one at a time, starting with the small blind and moving clockwise. Once everyone has their two cards, the first betting round begins. From that point the hand moves through four betting rounds, with community cards revealed between them.

What are the four betting rounds?

A hand of Texas Hold'em has four betting rounds. Community cards are revealed before three of them. The table below shows the sequence.

Here is what happens in each round.

• Preflop: This is the first betting round, right after the hole cards are dealt. The player to the left of the big blind acts first. Because the blinds are already live bets, players must at least call the big blind to stay in.
• Flop: The dealer reveals three community cards at the same time. A new betting round begins, and the first active player to the left of the button acts first.
• Turn: A fourth community card is dealt. Another betting round follows.
• River: The fifth and final community card is dealt. The last betting round takes place.

Preflop is where most of your decisions are decided before you ever see a flop, which is why beginners get the biggest gains from studying starting hands first. Our Preflop+ app drills exactly these spots with instant feedback.

What actions can you take on your turn?

When the action reaches you, you choose one of a small set of options. Which options are available depends on whether anyone has bet before you in the current round.

• Check: Pass the action to the next player without betting. You can only check if no one has bet in the current round.
• Bet: Put chips in the pot when no one has bet yet in this round.
• Call: Match the current bet to stay in the hand.
• Raise: Increase the current bet. Everyone after you must then call the new amount, raise again, or fold.
• Fold: Give up your cards and forfeit any chips you already put in the pot. You are out of the hand.

A betting round ends when every player still in the hand has either matched the largest bet or folded. If a player bets and everyone else folds, the hand ends immediately and the bettor wins the pot without showing their cards.

What is the showdown and how do you win?

If two or more players are still in the hand after the river betting round, the hand goes to showdown. Players reveal their hole cards, and the best five-card hand wins the pot.

You make your best five-card hand from any combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards. You can use both hole cards, one hole card, or in rare cases none of them if the five community cards already form your best hand, which is called playing the board. If two players tie exactly, they split the pot.

There are two ways to win a hand of Texas Hold'em:

1. Everyone else folds. If your bet or raise makes all other players fold, you win the pot right away and never show your cards.
2. You win at showdown. If the hand reaches the river and cards are revealed, the strongest five-card hand takes the pot.

Because you can win without the best hand by making others fold, betting and reading your opponents matter as much as the cards you hold.

What are the poker hand rankings you need to know?

To play well you need to know which hands beat which. From strongest to weakest, the ranking runs Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card. A flush (five cards of the same suit) beats a straight (five cards in sequence), which is a common point of confusion for new players. Memorizing this order is the single most useful thing a beginner can do before their first session.

What should a beginner focus on first?

Start by playing fewer hands and playing them from good positions. New players lose the most chips by entering pots with weak cards from early seats. Fold often, respect the players who bet into you, and pay attention to how the community cards connect with likely holdings. Once the mechanics feel natural, study starting hand selection and betting decisions. Our guide to GTO poker fundamentals explains the strategy ideas that turn the rules into winning decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many cards do you get in Texas Hold'em?

Each player gets two private hole cards. Five community cards are shared in the middle. You make your best five-card hand from any mix of those seven cards.

What beats what in Texas Hold'em?

From strongest to weakest: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card. A flush beats a straight.

Do you have to use both of your hole cards?

No. You can use both, one, or neither. If the five community cards make your best hand on their own, you are playing the board and share the pot with anyone else doing the same.

What is the difference between a check and a call?

You check when no one has bet in the current round, passing the action for free. You call when someone has bet, matching that amount to stay in the hand.

How do the blinds work?

The two players to the left of the button post forced bets before the deal. The small blind is smaller, the big blind is usually double it. These bets start the pot and rotate each hand.