The Basic Rules of Texas Hold'em Poker
A Beginner's GuideTexas Hold'em is by far the most popular poker variant in the world — the game played in the World Series of Poker Main Event, in home games, and in most online card rooms. It's simple to learn but takes a lifetime to master.Here's everything you need to know about the basic rules.1. The Setup
Every hand starts with two forced bets to create an initial pot:
After each round of new cards (except pre-flop), there's a new betting round.4. The Betting ActionsIn each betting round, players can choose:
A Beginner's GuideTexas Hold'em is by far the most popular poker variant in the world — the game played in the World Series of Poker Main Event, in home games, and in most online card rooms. It's simple to learn but takes a lifetime to master.Here's everything you need to know about the basic rules.1. The Setup
- Players: Usually 2–10 per table (6–9 is most common)
- Deck: Standard 52-card deck (no jokers)
- Objective: Win chips by having the best 5-card poker hand at showdown, or by making everyone else fold before the end
- Small Blind (SB) — posted by the player immediately left of the dealer
- Big Blind (BB) — posted by the next player (usually double the small blind)
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Stage
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Cards Dealt
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Action Order Starts From
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Common Nickname
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1. Pre-flop
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2 hole cards (face down)
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Player left of Big Blind
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Pre-flop
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2. Flop
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3 community cards
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Player left of dealer button
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Flop
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3. Turn
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1 more community card
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Player left of dealer button
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Turn / Fourth Street
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4. River
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1 final community card
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Player left of dealer button
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River / Fifth Street
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- Fold — give up the hand (lose any chips already invested)
- Check — pass the action without betting (only possible if no one has bet yet)
- Bet — put chips into the pot (first person to bet in a round)
- Call — match the current highest bet
- Raise — increase the current bet (usually minimum 2× the previous bet size in no-limit)
- Players turn their hole cards face up
- The best 5-card hand wins the pot (using any combination of the 7 cards available)
- If hands are identical → pot is split equally
- Blinds posted
- Everyone gets 2 hole cards
- Pre-flop betting
- Flop (3 cards) → betting
- Turn (1 card) → betting
- River (1 card) → betting
- Showdown (if necessary) → best hand wins!
- Position matters a lot — acting last gives you huge information advantage
- You don't have to play every hand — folding is very powerful
- Start with strong starting hands (AA, KK, QQ, AK, AQ, JJ, etc.)
- Pay attention to the community cards — they make or break everyone's hand
