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A beginner's guide to Texas Hold'em poker
To play poker (Texas Hold'em), you combine your two private cards with five shared community cards to make the best five-card hand — betting across four rounds as more cards are revealed. You win by having the best hand at the end or by making everyone fold.
Hold'em is the easiest variant to learn and the most widely played. This guide walks through one hand. The hand you're aiming for is ranked by the standard poker hand rankings, and the betting actions are covered in the rules of poker.
Blinds and hole cards
Two players post forced bets called the blinds to start the pot. Everyone is then dealt two private cards (your "hole cards"), which only you can see. A first betting round follows, where you decide whether your two cards are worth playing.
The flop, turn and river
Three shared cards are dealt face up (the flop), then a fourth (the turn), then a fifth (the river), with a betting round after each. You make your best five-card hand from any combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards. More shared cards means more information — and more betting.
The showdown
If two or more players are still in after the river, they reveal their cards and the best five-card hand wins the pot. If a bet makes everyone else fold at any point, the hand ends there. A game you might enjoy next, also using poker hands, is pai gow.
How to play Texas Hold'em, step by step
- Post the blinds Two players put in forced bets to build the pot.
- Receive hole cards Each player gets two private cards.
- Bet before the flop Decide whether to play your two cards.
- See the flop, turn and river Three, then one, then one shared card, with betting between each.
- Make your best five-card hand Use any mix of your hole cards and the community cards.
- Showdown Best hand wins, or the last player left if everyone folds.
Frequently asked questions
Is Texas Hold'em hard to learn?
No. You get two private cards, five shared cards appear in stages, and you make the best five-card hand. The skill is in the betting and in reading opponents, not in the basic rules.
What are hole cards?
Your two private cards in Texas Hold'em, dealt face down so only you can see them. You combine them with the five shared community cards to make your hand.
What are the flop, turn and river?
The shared community cards: the flop is the first three, the turn is the fourth and the river is the fifth, each followed by a betting round.