Texas Hold'em is the world's most popular poker game. Learn the rules, hand rankings, betting rounds, and beginner strategy to dominate your next home game or casino night.
A standard 52-card deck (no jokers), poker chips (or anything for betting), and 2-10 players. You'll also need a dealer button to track who deals each hand. A 500-chip set comfortably covers a table of eight.
Hand Rankings (Highest to Lowest)
Royal Flush — A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit
Straight Flush — Five consecutive cards of the same suit
Four of a Kind — Four cards of the same rank
Full House — Three of a kind plus a pair
Flush — Five cards of the same suit
Straight — Five consecutive cards of any suit
Three of a Kind — Three cards of the same rank
Two Pair — Two different pairs
One Pair — Two cards of the same rank
High Card — Highest single card wins
Suits never rank in Hold'em. An ace can play high (10-J-Q-K-A) or low (A-2-3-4-5, the lowest straight), but a straight cannot wrap around, so Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.
Setup
Pick a dealer and give them the dealer button. The button moves one seat to the left after every hand. Before the cards come out, the two players to the left of the button post the blinds, forced bets that give everyone something to play for. The small blind (directly left of the button) is usually half the big blind, and the big blind (two seats left) is the minimum bet for the hand.
Heads-up (two players): the button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop, then acts last on the flop, turn and river.
How a Hand Plays
Pre-Flop
Each player receives 2 hole cards face down. The player to the left of the big blind acts first and can fold (give up), call (match the big blind), or raise (increase the bet). Action moves clockwise until every player still in has put the same amount in the pot. The big blind gets the last word: if nobody raised, they can check or raise.
The Flop
The dealer burns one card and deals 3 community cards face up in the center. A second betting round begins with the first active player to the left of the button.
The Turn
One more card is burned, and a 4th community card is dealt. Another betting round follows, again starting left of the button.
The River
One final card is burned, and the 5th and last community card is dealt. The final betting round begins.
Showdown
If two or more players are left after the river betting, hands are shown. The last player to bet or raise on the river shows first; if everyone checked, the first active player left of the button shows first. Each player makes the best 5-card hand from their 2 hole cards and the 5 community cards. You can use both hole cards, one, or none. Using none is called playing the board.
Ties: when two hands have the same rank, the higher cards decide it. A pair of kings with an ace beats a pair of kings with a queen; that side card is the kicker. If the best five cards are identical, the pot is split evenly.
Betting Options
Check: pass the action (only if no bet has been made this round)
Bet: put chips in the pot
Call: match the current bet
Raise: increase the current bet
Fold: give up your hand and any chips already in the pot
No-Limit, Pot-Limit and Limit
No-Limit: you can bet any amount up to all your chips at any time. A raise must be at least as large as the previous bet or raise in that round.
Pot-Limit: the most you can raise is the size of the pot once your call is counted.
Limit (Fixed-Limit): bets and raises come in set sizes. Before the flop and on the flop they equal the big blind; on the turn and river they double. Most rooms cap each round at one bet and three raises.
All-In and Side Pots
A player who cannot match a bet can go all-in with whatever they have left. They can only win, from each opponent, as much as they put in. Any extra chips the other players keep betting go into a side pot that only those players can win.
Starting Hands
Your two hole cards decide most of your night. Write hands like poker players do: AK suited means an ace and king of the same suit, AK offsuit means different suits.
Premium: AA, KK, QQ, JJ and AK suited. Raise with these from any seat.
Strong: TT, 99, AK offsuit, AQ suited, AJ suited and KQ suited. Raise from most seats; be more careful when someone has already raised.
Playable from late position: small and middle pairs (22-88), suited aces like A5 suited, suited connectors like 87 suited and 98 suited, and KJ or QJ. They win big when they hit and are easy to fold when they miss.
Usually a fold: unsuited, unconnected low cards such as 9-3, J-4 or the famous worst hand, 7-2 offsuit.
How often you see them: you are dealt any pocket pair about once every 17 hands, and pocket aces about once every 221 hands. A pocket pair turns into three of a kind on the flop about 12% of the time, roughly once every 8 tries.
Position
Seats are named by when they act. Early position (just left of the big blind) acts first and should play only strong hands. Late position (the button and the seat to its right) acts last after the flop and can play more hands, because it sees what everyone else does first.
Home Game vs Tournament
Cash Game
Chips stand for a set amount and blinds stay the same all night. Players can buy in for more chips when they run low and leave whenever they like. A comfortable buy-in is 100 big blinds. It is the easiest format for a casual night where people come and go.
Tournament (Sit-and-Go)
Everyone buys in once for the same stack and plays until one player has every chip. Blinds go up on a timer so the game ends on schedule. A simple home structure:
Payouts: a common split for 7-10 players is 50% / 30% / 20% to the top three; with 6 or fewer, pay the top two
Expect an eight-player game with this structure to run three to four hours. Shorten the levels to 15 minutes for a quicker night. If you play for money, check your local rules on home games.
Tips & Strategy
Starting hand selection is everything. Don't play every hand. Folding most hands pre-flop is normal, even for good players. Position matters. Play tighter from early position and looser from late position.
Don't chase bad draws. A quick rule: count your outs (cards that complete your hand). After the flop, outs × 4 is your rough percent to hit by the river; after the turn, outs × 2. A flush draw has 9 outs, about 35% by the river. Pay attention to betting patterns: how much and when someone bets tells you a lot about their hand.
For home games: Agree on the house rules before the first hand: buy-in, blind levels, and whether players must show their cards at showdown or can throw a losing hand away unseen.
TEXAS HOLD'EM FAQ
Do you have to use both hole cards in Texas Hold'em?
No. Your hand is the best five cards from your two hole cards and the five community cards. You can use both hole cards, one, or none. Using none is called playing the board, and if the board is everyone's best hand, the pot is split.
Who acts first in Texas Hold'em?
Before the flop, the player to the left of the big blind acts first. On the flop, turn and river, the first player still in the hand to the left of the dealer button acts first.
What is the best starting hand in Texas Hold'em?
Pocket aces. You are dealt them about once every 221 hands. Kings, queens, jacks and ace-king suited round out the premium hands.
What happens if two players have the same hand?
The higher cards decide it. With the same pair, the highest side card (the kicker) wins. If both players' best five cards are identical, they split the pot. Suits never break a tie.
Can an ace be low in a straight?
Yes. A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest straight. An ace can also be high in 10-J-Q-K-A, but a straight cannot wrap around, so Q-K-A-2-3 does not count.
How many chips should each player start with in a home game?
For a cash game, about 100 big blinds each. For a home tournament, 10,000 in chips with blinds starting at 25/50 and rising every 20 minutes works well and usually finishes in three to four hours with eight players.
What is the difference between No-Limit and Limit Hold'em?
In No-Limit you can bet any amount up to all your chips. In Limit, bets come in fixed sizes: the big blind before the flop and on the flop, then double that on the turn and river, usually with a cap of one bet and three raises per round.
