Rules of Texas Hold'em

In Texas Hold'em, your aim is to win chips by either showing the strongest five-card hand at showdown or by inducing every opponent to fold before the final betting round.

A standard 52-card deck is used. Each player receives two private cards. Across the hand, five community cards, the flop (three cards), the turn (one card), and the river (one card), are dealt face-up for everyone to use. You may use both, one, or none of your hole cards: only the best five-card combination counts at showdown.

Action proceeds clockwise. A rotating dealer button marks the notional dealer for that hand and determines the blinds and action order. Before any cards are dealt, two players post forced bets called the small blind and big blind to seed the pot and ensure action.

The dealer button (BTN) sits in front of a player and moves one seat clockwise after each completed hand. Immediately to the left of the button are the small blind (SB) and the big blind (BB). At a full “10-max” table you'll also hear Under the Gun (UTG), UTG2, UTG3, Middle Position (MP), Lowjack (LJ), Hijack (HJ), and Cutoff (CO). In “6-max,” there are fewer early positions, and late position comes around more frequently. In heads-up play, the button posts the small blind and acts first preflop but last on later streets.

Positional advantage is fundamental to poker strategy: players who act later in the betting round gain more information about opponents' actions and can tailor their decisions accordingly. Preflop, the UTG speaks first, postflop it's the SB. The BTN is the best position because it plays after everyone postflop.

Blinds are forced bets posted before the deal to create an initial pot and guarantee action. In a 1/2 game, the small blind is 1 and the big blind is 2. Many rooms also use antes, which are small contributions from each player, or a single big blind ante (BBA) posted by the BB, that further increase the starting pot and encourage participation.

If a player steps away and returns, they typically must “post” any missed blinds and antes to rejoin immediately, or they may wait for the big blind to come back around. Procedures for missed blinds, dead buttons, and late arrivals vary by venue; when in doubt, ask the dealer.

Hold'em uses a standard 52-card deck with no jokers. After the blinds are posted, each active player is dealt two cards face-down, one card at a time, starting with the seat to the left of the button and proceeding clockwise. Players must protect their hands from accidental exposure or the muck by keeping a chip, card guard, or hand over their cards when not in use.

Dealers “burn” one card before dealing each community-card round to reduce the chance of marked-card information. If a card is accidentally flashed during the deal, most houses complete the deal and replace the exposed card at the end according to their local rules.

• Preflop begins with the first active player to the left of the big blind. Players may fold, call the big blind, or raise. If there is a voluntary straddle (see below), action generally starts to the left of the straddle instead. Once preflop action closes, when all bets are matched, the hand proceeds to the flop.
• The Flop introduces three community cards at once, dealt face-up. A round of betting follows, beginning with the first active player to the left of the button, the small blind.
• The Turn brings a single community card and another round of betting.
• The River delivers the final community card, followed by the last betting round. If two or more players remain after river action, the hand proceeds to showdown.

If at any point all players but one fold, the hand ends immediately and the last remaining player wins the pot without exposure.

On your turn you may:

• Check: don't put anything if no bet is pending
• Bet: put a bet
• Call: call the pending bet
• Raise: raise the pending bet
• Fold: fold your card and lose the hand

In No-Limit games, the minimum bet on postflop streets is typically the size of the big blind. The minimum raise must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise increment. For example, if someone bets 20 and another player raises to 60 (a raise of 40), the next minimum raise is 40 more, to 100 total. If a player goes all-in for less than a full raise, it generally does not reopen the betting for players who have already acted unless local rules state otherwise.

Acting out of turn can be binding if the action doesn't materially change; otherwise, it is usually retracted. Always wait for your turn, avoid splashing chips directly into the pot, and push your bet forward in neat stacks so the dealer can count them easily.

If the final betting round concludes with two or more players still in the hand, the pot is awarded at showdown. The player who made the last aggressive action on the river shows first. If there was no bet on the river, the first active player to the left of the button usually reveals first, and showdown proceeds clockwise. Players are allowed to “muck” losing hands face-down unless a house rule requires that all called hands be shown to protect the game's integrity.

The dealer reads the best five-card hand for each player. Because only five cards matter, extra kickers beyond five are ignored. If all players share the same best hand, then the pot is split evenly. When the split is uneven by a single chip, the odd chip is awarded according to house policy, commonly to the first seat left of the button.

Hands rank from strongest to weakest as follows: Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card. Suits don't rank in standard Hold'em.

Straights can play with the Ace as high (10-J-Q-K-A) or low (A-2-3-4-5), but not as a “wrap-around” (K-A-2-3-4 is not a straight). Flushes are compared from the highest card downward; if those are equal through five cards, the result is a split. For paired hands, kickers decide the winner when necessary; for example, two players with top pair may use their side cards to break a tie.

When one or more players are all-in for different amounts, the pot is split into a main pot and one or more side pots. Every player who put chips into a given pot may contest that pot; players who did not contribute to a side pot cannot win from it. Pots are awarded in descending order: side pots first, then the main pot.

Suppose Player A is all-in for 25, Player B for 60, and Player C covers both and calls 60. The main pot is capped by the smallest stack: 25 from each player, for 75 total. The extra 35 from B and 35 from C form a 70-chip side pot that only B and C can win. At showdown, the dealer will read the side pot between B and C first, then the main pot among A, B, and C.

• In No-Limit Hold'em, you may bet or raise any amount up to the chips you have in front of you for that hand (table stakes).
• In Pot-Limit, the maximum raise equals the current pot size including your call; dealers can assist with pot counts on request.
• In Fixed-Limit, bets and raises are in preset increments that typically double on the turn and river, and many houses cap the number of raises per street.

Regardless of structure, you cannot add or remove chips during a hand, and you may only play what you started the hand with. Between hands, buy-ins and rebuys must respect the table's posted minimums and maximums.

Cash games post minimum and maximum buy-ins. You can rebuy between hands within those limits. Most poker rooms take a rake from each pot or charge a timed fee; rake structures vary widely and can influence which games are best value.

A straddle is a voluntary blind posted before cards are dealt, usually two times the big blind and typically from the player under the gun. Some rooms allow button or Mississippi straddles with different action orders. Straddles change preflop dynamics by enlarging the pot and shifting the first action.

Common misdeals include dealing the wrong number of cards to a player, dealing a card to an empty seat, or significantly exposing cards in a way that can't be corrected. Typical procedure is to stop the hand and perform a fresh deal with the button moving as it would have. Minor exposures during the deal are often rectified at the end of the initial deal by giving the affected player a replacement card from the top and using the exposed card as a burn, but this varies by house.

A hand is generally dead if it touches the muck, is released face-up in a fold with action pending, or is otherwise fouled by too many or too few cards. Always keep your cards protected and on the table surface and follow the dealer's instructions promptly to avoid confusion.

Poker is a social game with expectations that protect fairness and pace. Act only when it is your turn and make your decisions in a reasonable time. Do not discuss live hands in a way that could influence action or reveal folded cards while the hand is in progress. Keep chip stacks tidy and large-denomination chips visible to opponents. When you bet, avoid splashing chips into the pot and push stacks cleanly so the dealer can count them.

Avoid “angle-shooting,” including feigning actions, string bets, or misleading declarations. Be courteous, and remember that slow-rolling (deliberately delaying the reveal of an obvious winner) is poor form even if not explicitly against the rules.

While core Hold'em rules are consistent, many rooms have local procedures. Some require all called hands to be tabled at showdown; others permit mucking a called loser. Some houses allow run it twice when players are all-in, provided all involved agree before additional boards are dealt; other rooms forbid it. Straddle options, raise caps in limit games, and whether a short all-in reopens betting can also differ. Before you play, ask the dealer about any local rules that will affect the hand you're in.