Unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you’ve at least heard of Texas Hold’em. While Texas Hold’em is actually fairly simple to play, it can look really intimidating when you don’t know what’s going on; there are cards all over the table, and players use a lot of jargon that doesn’t make much sense to non-players.

1. In Texas Holdem Rules
2. Texas Holdem Flush Rules

Luckily, learning how to play Texas Holdem is quick and easy. Here’s a quick guide to the rules of Texas Hold’em!

In Texas Holdem Rules

Jul 07, 2018  In Texas Hold Em, the rules as to who then there is a split pot or not. Texas HoldEm Rules.If any players have the same amount of chips, then there. Straight Flush: A straight flush (five consecutive cards all of the same suit) beats four of a kind. Aces can be high or low. An ace-high straight flush is called a royal flush, the best possible hand in poker. ♣ Betting Variations. Texas Hold'em can be played in three basic variations. Tie Breaker Rules of Poker Cash Game - Poker Rules. A Royal Flush is the highest hand in poker. Between two Royal flushes, there can be no tie breaker. If two players have Royal Flushes, they split the pot. The odds of this happening though are very rare and almost impossible in texas holdem because board requires three cards of one suit for anyone to have a flush in that suit.

How to Play Texas Hold’em: Getting Started

To play Texas Hold’em, you’re going to need a standard deck of 52 playing cards, and some people to play with. Typically, Texas Hold’em is played with anywhere between two and ten players, but if you’re just starting out and want to understand how the game normally works, a group of six to ten players will probably work best. You’ll also want chips, as well as something you can use to signify which player is the dealer (many poker sets come with a dealer button).

How to Play Texas Hold’em: Hand Ranks

The object of the game is to make the best five-card poker hand possible. Each player receives two cards, face down, that they can examine but should be kept secret from the other players. In addition, every player can use five community cards that are placed in the center of the table by the dealer during the course of the hand. Each player’s hand can be made up of any combination of those five community cards and their two “hole cards.” Hands are ranked according to the normal poker hand rankings. If you need a refresher, those rankings look like this (starting from the lowest hand):

Straight Flush

Five suited cards in sequential order: T♥9♥8♥7♥6♥
This is the strongest hand in Texas Hold’em, and includes any hand that is a straight made up of five cards of the same suit. The strongest possible Straight Flush – AKQJT of the same suit – is known as a Royal Flush.

Four-of-a-Kind

Four cards of the same rank: Q♥Q♦Q♣Q♠
This group, also known as ‘quads’ or ‘poker’, includes any hand that has four cards of the same rank, such as AAAA3. Hands in this group are ranked by the rank of the quads, and then, if necessary, the rank of the single card.

Full House

Three cards of the same rank and two cards of another rank: 2♥2♦2♣9♥9♣
Also known as a boat, a full house is a combination of three of a kind and a pair. These hands are ranked by comparing the rank of the three of a kind, then, if necessary, the pair.

Flush

Five cards of any rank in the same suit: 4♣6♣J♣A♣9♣
Any hand with five cards of the same suit, such as five clubs, is a flush. Ties are broken by the rank of the highest card in each flush, followed by the second highest card, and so on. E.g. An ace high flush, beats a ten high flush. A flush is sometimes called a “blue”.

Texas Holdem Flush Rules

Straight

Five cards of any suit in sequential order: K♦Q♣J♥T♣9♠
Straights are also known as runs. Straights include any hand with five cards of consecutive rank, like 56789. Aces can be played as either a high card or a low card in straights. If two players have a straight, the straight with the higher cards wins. The “nut straight” is A-K-Q-J-T and is known as “Broadway.”

Three-of-a-Kind

Three cards of the same rank in a five-card hand: 8♥8♣8♦XX
If you have a this hand with a pair in your hole cards, it is known as a set. If you have one card in your hand and two on the board, it is called trips. Ties are broken by the rank of the three of a kind, then the rank of the highest unpaired card.

Two Pair

Two cards of the same rank, and two of a different rank in a five-card hand: 5♦5♣K♠K♣Xx
Two pair is the most common winning hand at showdown in No-Limit Hold ‘em. This group includes any hand with two pairs of cards from the same ranks, like TTQQ6. Ties are broken first by the rank of the higher pair, then the lower pair, and then the unpaired card.

One Pair

Two cards of the same rank in a five-card hand: 9♥9♣XXX
This group includes any hand that contains one pair of cards of the same rank, like 77QK2. Ties in this group are broken by the rank of the pair, and then by the rank of the highest non-pair card, and so on.

High Card

Any five-card hand that does not correspond to the above rankings.
The highest card in the hand determines the name. For example, a High Card hand of K♥9♦6♣3♠2♣ is called “King High.”
Hands in this group are ranked by their highest card (aces are high), with ties broken by the second highest card, then the third, and so on.

How to Play Texas Hold’em: Rules of Play

In Texas Hold ‘em, there are four rounds of betting. These rounds are also refereed to as “streets”.

• Pre-flop, when players are dealt their first two hole cards.
• Flop, when the first three board cards are dealt.
• Turn, when the 4th board card is dealt.
• River, when the 5th and final board card is dealt.

Each hand of Texas Hold’em begins with the two players to the left of the button posting the small blind and large blind, respectively. The size of these blinds, along with the size of the bets throughout the game, will be determined by the betting structure you choose to use.

Limit Hold’em games employ a fixed betting structure. A $5/$10 Limit Game, for example, has forced “blind” bets of $2 and $5 (small blind and big blind) and a small bet of $5 followed by a big bet of $10. Players can bet and raise in $5 increments until $20 before and on the flop ($20 is the equivalent of 4bets and is known as capping. This is the maximum number of raises allowed in any round of fixed limit holdem betting). On the turn and river, the bet size doubles, so in a $5/$10 game, bets and raises of $10 increments are made on the turn and river with a cap of $40.

In No-Limit Hold’em games, players can bet and raise as much as they like at any point. For example, a $1/$2 game with blinds of $1 and $2 will have a minimum bet of $2 and a maximum bet of all your chips. No Limit Texas Hold’em is the most popular betting structure in todays games.

Pot-Limit Hold’em games play much like No-Limit, but players are restricted to betting and raising the size of the pot.

After the blinds are posted, the dealer deals two cards face down to each player. Beginning with the player to the left of the big blind, each player now has the following options for playing their hand:

Fold: A player may fold at any time, forfeiting their cards and ending their participation in the hand.

Call: A player may match the current bet.

Raise: A player may raise the current bet (the amount of the raise allowed will depend on the game structure).

Players will also have the option to check (or pass) at times during the hand; this occurs when no bet has been made yet in a betting round. In the case of the first betting round, only the big blind will have this option, and only if there is no raise (as the big blind has already put the initial betting amount into play to start the hand).

Play moves around the table clockwise. A round of betting ends when all remaining players have called the current bet, or when only one player is left in the hand because everyone else has folded. In that case, the last player takes the money in the pot, and the hand is over.

If two or more players are left after a the first betting round ends, then the dealer will deal three cards (known as the flop) in the middle of the table. These community cards can be used by all players to help make their best hand. On this and all later betting rounds, the play starts with the first player to the left of the dealer button.

As long as at least two players remain in the hand, play continues as normal. After the flop, the dealer will deal a fourth community card, known as the turn. After another round of betting, the dealer will then deal the final community card, known as the river. At that point, there is one last round of betting. If that round ends with two or more players still in the hand, all remaining players now “showdown” by revealing their hands. The player with the best hand according to the hand rankings above takes all of the money in the pot. If there is an exact tie between two or more players, they will split the pot as evenly as possible.

After each hand, the dealer button moves one seat to the left, and play begins again as normal.

While there are many more intricacies to the rules of Texas Hold’em, this should be enough to get you started. Now that you understand how to play Texas Hold’em, it’s time to get to the tables and start playing!

Example Hand

Joe, Chris, Jack, Martin and Matt are playing a game of $10/$20 Fixed Limit Hold’em at a leading online poker room. Each player has $500.

Joe posts a $5 small blind and Chris a $10 big blind. Matt, as dealer (or “on the button,” a reference to the dealer button used to indicate the betting rotation) then deals two cards to each player, beginning with Joe and dealing clockwise. When each player has two cards, the betting commences.

Jack folds his cards but Martin likes his a little better and decides to call, matching the $10 big blind. Matt raises to $20 and Joe folds. Chris calls the extra $10 and so does Martin.

With the betting round complete, making a $65 pot, Matt “burns” the top card of the deck (discards it face-down) before dealing the first three community cards – the flop – on the table. The burn is used to prevent cheating.

The flop is: J♥ 2♣ 2♥

With the action going clockwise from the small blind, Chris is first to act and checks. Martin bets $10 and Matt raises to $20. Chris folds and Martin 3-bets to $30. Matt calls to create a pot of $125 and then burns a card before dealing the fourth card, the turn.

The turn makes a board of: J♥ 2♣ 2♥ 8♥

Martin checks and Matt bets $20 – on the turn and river, remember the betting is in increments of the big bet. Martin calls for a pot of $165 and the river is dealt.

The river completes the board: J♥ 2♣ 2♥ 8♥ 4 ♠

Martin bets $20 and Matt raises to $40. Martin 3-bets to $60 and Matt 4-bets to $80, which caps the betting. Martin cannot raise any further and calls for a final pot of $325 – since he has been called, Matt must showdown first. He turns over J♣J♦ for a full house, jacks over twos. Martin shows A♥ K♥ for an ace-high flush that loses to Matt’s boat.

Texas Hold’em is the world’s most popular form of poker, thanks in large part to the World Series of Poker and other televised poker tournaments that have brought the game to the masses. Texas Hold’em is both easy to play, making it ideal for those just learning about poker, and filled with incredible depth and strategy, making it a game that challenges even professional players. If you need a refresher on the Texas Hold’em Rules, this article should help you get started in this great poker game.

Texas Hold’em Basic Poker Rules

Texas Hold’em is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The object of the game is to make the best possible five-card poker hand using any combination of the two card’s in a player’s hand (known as the “hole cards”) and the five community cards that the dealer places in the middle of the table, which can be used by all players. The standard hand rankings are used, as follows (from best to worst):

• Straight Flush: Any five cards of the same suit and consecutive rank; the best of these hands, AKQJT of a single suit, is known as a Royal Flush. For these and regular straights, aces may be played as high or low cards.
• Four of a Kind: Any four cards of the same rank.
• Full House: Any three cards from a single rank combined with a pair from a different rank (i.e., TTT55).
• Flush: Any five cards of the same suit.
• Straight: Any five cards of consecutive ranks (i.e., 34567).
• Three of a Kind: Any three cards of the same rank.
• Two Pair: Any two pairs of cards from the same ranks (ie, 5599A).
• One Pair: Any two cards of the same rank.
• High Card: Hands that do not fit any of the above categories are ranked based on the highest card in their hand (aces are high), then by the second highest card, and so on.

Let’s look at these poker hand rankings again visually.

Typically, a game of Texas Hold’em will be played with anywhere from two to ten players at a table. Games with more players are possible, since each player only needs two cards for themselves, but games with more than 11 players at a single table are rare.

Games of Texas Hold’em may be played with many different betting structures. Common ones include Limit Hold’em, where the amount a player may bet is set by the rules of the game, and No Limit Hold’em, where players are free to bet as much of the money they have at the table as they wish at any time. Other structures include Pot Limit Hold’em and Spread Limit Hold’em.

Texas Hold’em Rules: Flow of a Hand

At the beginning of the first hand of play, one player will be assigned the dealer button (in home games, this player will also traditionally act as the dealer for that hand). The player immediately to the left of the button must post the small blind, while the player two seats to the left of the button must post the big blind. The size of these blinds is typically determined by the rules of the game. If any ante is required – common in a tournament situation – players should also contribute it at this point.

Once all blinds have been posted and antes have been paid, the dealer will deal two cards to each player. Each player may examine their own cards. The play begins with the player to the left of the big blind. That player may choose to fold, in which case they forfeit their cards and are done with play for that hand. The player may also choose to call the bet, placing an amount of money into the pot equal to the size of the big blind. Finally, the player can also choose to raise, increasing the size of the bet required for other players to stay in the hand.

Moving around the table clockwise, each player may then choose to take any of those options: folding, calling the current bet, or raising the bet. A round of betting ends when all players but one have folded (in which case the one remaining player wins the pot), or when all remaining players have called the current bet. On the first round of betting, if no players raise, the big blind will also have the option to check, essentially passing his turn; this is because the big blind has already placed the current bet amount into the pot, but hasn’t yet had a chance to act.

Assuming there are two or more players remaining in the hand after the first round of betting, the dealer will then deal out three community cards in the middle of the table. These cards are known as the flop. Play now begins, starting with the first player to the left of the dealer button (if every player is still in the hand, this will be the small blind). Players have the same options as before; in addition, if no bet has yet been made in the betting round, players have the option to check. A round of betting can also end if all players check and no bets are made, along with the other ways discussed above.

If two or more players remain in the hand after the second round of betting, the dealer will place a fourth community card – known as the turn – on the table. Once again, a round of betting ensues, using the same rules outlined above. Finally, if two or more players are still around after the third round of betting, the dealer will place the final community card – the river – on the table. One last round of betting will commence.

After this final round of betting, all remaining players must reveal their hands. The player with the best hand according to the hand rankings above will win the pot. If two or more players share the exact same hand, the pot is split evenly between them. After each hand, the button moves one seat to the left, as do the responsibilities of posting the small and big blinds.