Texas Holdem Rules And Hands

Learning how to play Texas Holdem is pretty easy. It only looks complicated because there are so many rounds of action. But other than the action preflop and at showdown, each round is the same. So once you get the general idea of the game, it’ll be easy to pick it up.

Texas Hold ‘Em also has its own abbreviations for online play. Texas Hold 'Em (or Texas Holdem) is the primary version of Poker played in many casinos, and it's the version seen on television shows like the Travel Channel's World Poker Tour and ESPN's World Series of Poker. These are the basic rules for Texas Hold 'Em Poker. The Shuffle, The. The first three cards in Texas Hold'em are called the Flop. These cards are “community cards” meaning everyone will use them in combination with their own hole cards to make the best hand. From the flop on, betting begins with the player to the dealer’s left, who can check or bet. A fourth card is dealt face up onto the board.

This page will explain the basics behind Texas Holdem poker, including the rules, betting, winning hands and terminology.

An Example Hand of Texas Holdem – Game Play & Rules

Here is an example hand of Texas Holdem. This should give you an idea as to the rules and how the game plays.

The Blinds & Hole Cards

Before the cards are dealt the blinds are posted. The small blind posts the small blind and the big blind posts the big blind.

Once the blinds are posted the dealer deals each player two cards face down, one card at a time, starting with the small blind and working around the table clockwise. These are the players hole cards.

Preflop

After the hole cards are dealt the first betting round begins. The betting round begins with the player to the immediate left of the big blind, also known as the player under the gun. The options are to call, raise or fold.

Once that player acts the action will continue clockwise around the table. Each player will have the option to call, raise or fold. It keeps going like this until all but one player has folded, winning the pot outright, or until 2 or more players called.

When the action gets to the blinds, they will only need to call the difference between what they posted and the current bet. For example, if you’re playing $2/$4 and the current bet is $12, the small blind would only have to call $10 and the big blind $8 to see the flop.

The Flop

The flop is the first 3 community cards that players can use to make their 5 card poker hand. The dealer will usually burn one card, and then turn over 3 cards in the center of the table. After this another betting round starts.

The betting round will start with the first player to the left of the dealer button that’s still involved in the hand. The options are to check or bet (players can fold too, but checking is free).

Betting will continue clockwise until each player has acted. Depending on the action, players will have the option to check (if there is no betting), call (if someone bet), fold (if someone bet) or raise (if someone bet).

The Turn

The turn is the 4th community card. The turn will play just like the flop.

The River

The river is the 5th, and last, community card that players can use to make their hand. The river will play just like the flop and turn.

Unless all but one player folded during the betting round, once all players have acted there is a showdown to determine the winner. If there was no betting on the river then the first player to the left of the dealer button will need to flip up his or her hand. If there was betting on the river then the player who made the bets/raises (not the caller) will be the first to show. Then going clockwise around the table each player can show their hand (if they think they have the best hand) or muck (if they don’t think they have the best hand).

The player with the best 5 card poker hand, using any combination of their hole cards and community cards will win the hand and pot.

After the chips are awarded, the dealer button is moved one seat to the left. The 2 players to the left of the dealer button will post the blinds and a new hand of Texas Holdem will be dealt.

Texas Holdem Betting

The betting is usually what trips people up when learning how to play Holdem. This section will explain how Texas Holdem betting works, depending on the betting type being used.

No Limit Betting

No Limit Texas Holdem, or NLHE, is the most common form of Holdem nowadays. The betting rules for NLHE are simple:

• Raises must be at least twice that of the current bet. For example, if you wanted to make a raise in a $2/$4 game, the minimum raise would be $8. It can be $9, $15 or even $11.25 — it can be whatever you have the chips for, as long as it’s 2x the current bet.
• A player can move their entire stack “all in” at any time.

Limit Betting

Limit or “fixed limit” betting is a little bit more complicated. Using $2/$4 blinds as an example, here is how the betting works:

• The blinds are half of the small and big bet. So with blinds of 2/4, the small bet would be $4 and the big bet $8.
• Preflop and on the flop the small bet is used. So each bet and raise would be $4. If one player made a bet of $4 and you wanted to raise, you’d make it 8 total. If a player after you wanted to raise, it’d be to $12 total, then $16 and so on.
• The turn and river is the same as preflop and the flop, except for that the big bet is used. So each bet would be in increments of $8.
• Most poker rooms/sites have a cap of how many raises can take place per round. It depends on where you play, but it ranges from 3 to 5. After the cap has been reached, the only options are to fold or call until another the next round.

Pot Limit Betting

Pot Limit is the least common betting type used in Holdem. It’s also pretty easy to understand.

• The minimum bet must be that of the big blind. The minimum raise must be 2x the big blind. So at blinds of $2/$4, the minimum bet is $4 and the minimum raise would be $8 (or 2x the last bet or raise).
• The maximum amount a player can bet is determined by the amount in the pot. If there is $20 in the pot at a game of $2/$4 Limit Holdem, you can make a bet as large as $20. Assuming you bet $20, the player after you can wager as much as $40 ($20 from you + the $20 that was in the pot before you bet). The bigger the pot gets the more that can be wagered.
• There are no betting caps. Players can continue to raise until each player has folded or called, or until everyone is “all in.”

What Hands Win in Texas Holdem

Texas Holdem uses the standard poker rankings chart to determine the winning hand. In order of best hand to worst:

• Royal Flush
• Straight Flush
• Four of a Kind
• Full House (Boat)
• Flush
• Straight
• 3 of a Kind (Trips or Set)
• Two Pair
• Pair
• High Card

In Texas Holdem if 2 or more players have the same hand, the winner is determine by who has the highest of that hand. For example, if 2 players had a flush, one a 9 high flush and the other a J high flush, the J high flush would win.

If 2 or more players have the exact same (high) hand, then the pot is split between those players.

Suits do not break ties in Texas Holdem. It’s not possible to have more than one suit in Texas Holdem, anyway, as there aren’t enough cards in play.

Texas Holdem Terms

Here are some commonly used terms in Texas Holdem. They should help you understand this page a little better, as well as the chit-chat that might go on while you play.

Blinds – The blinds are forced bets made before the cards are dealt. It’s “dead money,” so it encourages action.

Small Blind – The small blind is the player to the immediate left of the dealer button. This player puts in the small blind, which is usually the smaller of the two forced bets, and about half the big blind. For example, in a $2/$4 Holdem game, $2 would be the small blind.

Big Blind – The big blind is the player to the immediately left of the small blind, or two seats to the left of the dealer button. This players puts in the forced big blind before the players are dealt their cards, which is usually twice the small blind. In a $2/$4 game, the big blind would be $4.

Hole Cards – Hole cards are the cards dealt to each player.

Under the Gun – This is the term used for the player first to act (usually to the immediately left of the big blind) pre-flop.

Flop – First 3 (of 5) community cards.

Turn – Fourth community card dealt. Dealt following the betting action on the flop.

River – Fifth, and final, community card. Dealt following the betting action on the turn.

Showdown – Where one or more players show their hands to see who wins the pot. Follows the betting action on the river.

Muck – When a player throws their hand away (folds), usually without showing it.

The PDF rules of poker are provided below for Texas Hold'em, the most popular poker variant.

To get the PDF printable version of this post click on of the unlock buttons below:

Other popular game variants include Pot Limit Omaha and 5card draw.

Table Of Contents

• Texas Hold'em Rules
• Poker hand Ranking System

Texas Hold'em Rules

In Texas hold’em each player is dealt two cards called their ‘hole’ cards. Hole cards can only be seen and used by one person. The dealer button (denoted by a circular disc) is allocated before hands are dealt to allow for the positioning of the forced bets: small blind and big blind, and also to determine who will act first and last in the hand.

There are a total of four betting rounds: preflop, the flop, the turn and the river. The betting rounds will be detailed further on.

If you have a dedicated dealer (such as at a casino), the button will still move around the table so everybody will eventually have to pay the blinds. The button doesn't show who is dealing in a casino; the button shows who is seated the best position at the table and where the blinds are located.

If you just sat down (out of turn) you will have to pay the blinds in order get dealt a hand; otherwise, you can wait until the blinds come around to your seat. You should wait for the blinds as paying twice is unprofitable.

The size of the blinds depends on the limit; for example, a 1/2 No Limit Hold'em game would have a big blind of $2 and a small blind of 1$. The small blind and big blind are located to the left of the button.

This is shown in the case of a 6 handed game below:

The blinds are an important part of the rules of poker. These forced bets which give players an incentive to play; in other words ‘spice up' the game. Without the blinds, there would be no penalty for waiting and only playing strong hands. The only hand worth playing would be two aces!

Antes are another form of forced bets which are often used the increase the action in some game types such as tournaments and deep stacked cash games.

Pre-flop – The First Betting Round of Hold'em

The first round of betting takes places starting at the position to the left of the big blind (early position or EP). Each player has the following options:

Raise: you can raise the current bet to increase the stakes of the game. If someone has raised before you, you can still raise again – this is call a reraise. The minimum size you can raise is typically chosen to be twice that of the last bet or raise.

Call: When you do not want to raise the stakes but want to continue with your hand you can match the current bet.

Fold: If you feel your hand is not worth playing any further you can fold your hand and not commit any more bets.

Check: If there is no bet placed you can check in order to see the next card. This isn't applicable to preflop. The blinds are the first bet preflop which must be matched with a call or raised, if a player wishes to continue.

Players must act in sequence until all bets are settled. The button must always act last in the first sequence. This first round of betting called ‘pre-flop’ occurs before the flop is dealt.

The Flop – The Second Betting Round

The second round of betting takes places after the three community (shared) cards called the flop are dealt. The action will be to the first player to the left of the dealer. This is opposed to the action starting to the left of the big blind during the preflop betting round.

The first player to act has the option to check bet or fold; although you should not fold when you can check for free. The betting rounds after the flop is dealt is collectively known as ‘post-flop’.

The Turn – The Third Betting Round

The third round of betting occurs after the second community card has been dealt. This card is called the turn. Again, the action starts with the active player to the left of the dealer.

The River and Showdown – The Fourth Betting Round

The fourth and final round of betting occurs when the dealer turns over the river card. The hand ends with the showdown of hands or if there is only one live hand remaining (the other player(s) have folded).

At showdown, the player with the best five card combination from their hole cards and the community cards wins the final pot. Split pots occur when both players have the same best five cards.

After each hand, the button moves to the left of the dealer. This means everyone will have to play the blinds at some point.

Texas hold'em rules are quite simple; however the strategies involved in winning are ever evolving.

The rules of Texas Hold'em are just the beginning so head to our home page if you want to improve your poker game!

Texas Holdem Poker Rules Hands

home page if you want to improve your poker game!

home page if you want to improve your poker game!

Keep this printable PDF hand ranking sheet beside you when you play to make sure you don't make a mistake!

The strongest to weakest hands of them poker hand hierarchy are listed below with the poker hands probability listed in brackets. After reading there will be no debating with friends ‘who has the best poker hand'!

1. Royal Flush (649,739:1)
   Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten all of the same suit – the strongest poker hand.

2. Straight flush (72,192:1)
   Five sequential cards all of the same suit. The second strongest poker hand.

3. Four of a kind (4,164:1)
   Four cards of the same value. Also known as ‘quads’.

4. Full House (693:1)
   Three cards of the same value plus two cards of the same value. Usually a winner!

5. Flush (508:1)
   Five cards all of the same suit.

6. Straight (254:1)
   Five cards in sequential order. Also referred to as a run.

7. Three of a kind (46:1)
   Three cards of the same value.

8. Two pair (20 : 1)
   Two sets of two cards with the same value. A common hand which can sometimes win at showdown!

9. One pair (1.37:1)
   Two cards of the same value.

10. High card
    The player with the highest card wins. Unlikely to be a winner so play with care.

Kickers

A kicker is much like a decider when both players have similar hand types. For example, if player A has A♠Q♣and Player B has A♣J♠ and the board is A♥K♦5♠ 7♠ 2♦ both players will have top pair with an ace but player A will win because the Q♣ is a better kicker than the J♠. The best five cards in this scenario are AAQ75 whereas the losing hand has AAJ75. A kicker is a very important concept when trying to understand the poker hand ranking system.

Split pots

Split pots occur when both players get to showdown and have the same hand rank. The pot is divided up equally between each of the players.

To take an example, if player A has K♠J♥ and player B has K♣Q♠ on a A♥K♦5♠5♣2♠ board both players will have two pair and ace kicker as their best hand (A, K, K, 5, 5). Therefore the pot will be split between the two players.

Alternatively, if the neither player can improve the hand on the board it will also be a split pot. If the board is A♥K♦5♠5♣K♠ and player A has Q♠J♣ and player B has 4♣4♠ then both players will be playing the board and thus it will be a split pot. Hence, you cannot have three pair in poker and the best two pair will play.

Beyond hand rankings

The rules of poker and poker hand rankings are just the beginning for you on your poker journey. One of the core skills in poker is being able to determine whether your hand is strong or weak on a relative scale as opposed to an absolute scale. For example, three of a kind is extremely strong on a board with no flush or straight possibilities but very weak on a board with 4 to a flush or 4 to a straight (e.g. T♥9♥8♥7♥ – any heart or J or 6 beats three of a kind).

One key point to note is that in poker all suits are of the same value. An Ace high flush of hearts is the same value as an Ace high flush of spades.

The first step to this is remembering if a flush beats a straight, or whether a straight flush beats quads; the next stage is figuring out your hand's relative strength based on how your opponent is playing, his tendencies and most importantly the board texture as noted.

Additionally, we should take into account the following factors:

• How many players are in the pot
• The amount of chips in the pot
• The size of the bets made

If you can understand the poker hand rankings and relative hand strength you will be ahead of the game; get ready to beat all your friends and opponents at your home games and casinos! Want to accelerate your poker learning? Check out or poker training sites post for the quickest ways to improve your poker game.

If you are new to poker and are unsure of what hands you need to play, check out our starting hand charts over at the poker cheat sheet webpage.

Rules Of Texas Holdem

Check out this poker hand ranking video for a more visual format of everything we said:

Texas Holdem Rules Tie Hand

Make sure you check out the fan favorite posts:

Texas Holdem Rules For Beginners

Poker cheat sheet for beginners & Best Poker Books