Objective
Win the chips in the pot. There are two ways to take a pot: hold the best five-card hand at the showdown, or make a bet that nobody is willing to call. Many hands never reach a showdown, so the betting matters as much as the cards.
This page covers the rules every Hold ’em game shares: blinds, the order of the deal, the four betting rounds and the showdown. Our Texas Hold ’em page looks at the no-limit tournament game, the version most people know from television.
Setup
Give everyone the same stack of chips and agree on the betting structure. In limit games, bets and raises are a fixed size: one size before the flop and on the flop, and double that on the turn and river. In pot-limit, a raise can be as large as the pot. In no-limit, you can bet all your chips at any time.
A marker called the button shows who is dealing, and it moves one seat to the left after every hand. Before any cards are dealt, the two players to the button’s left post forced bets called blinds. The small blind is usually half the big blind. Then deal two cards face down to each player, one at a time, starting with the small blind. These are your hole cards.
When only two players are left, the button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop, then last on every later round.
How to play
Before the flop, the player to the left of the big blind acts first. You can fold, call (match the big blind) or raise. Betting goes around until everyone still in has put in the same amount. If nobody has raised, the big blind may check or raise.
The flop: the dealer burns (discards face down) one card and turns three cards face up in the middle. These community cards belong to everyone. A betting round follows, starting with the first player still in to the left of the button. You may check if nobody has bet.
The turn and the river: the dealer burns a card and turns a fourth community card, with a betting round after it. Then the dealer burns and turns a fifth card for the last round of betting.
The showdown: if two or more players are still in after the last bet, they show their cards. Each player makes the best five-card hand from their two hole cards and the five on the board, using both, one or neither of their own cards. The best hand wins the pot.
- 1Post the blinds and deal two hole cards each
- 2Bet, then deal the flop: three cards face up
- 3Bet, then deal the turn: a fourth card
- 4Bet, then deal the river: a fifth card
- 5Bet once more, then the best five-card hand wins
Scoring
There are no points in Hold ’em. The pot goes to the best hand, ranked in the standard poker order below. All suits are equal, so if two hands tie exactly, the pot is split.
| Hand | Example |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | A-K-Q-J-10 of one suit |
| Straight flush | Five cards in sequence, one suit |
| Four of a kind | Four 9s |
| Full house | Three kings and two 4s |
| Flush | Any five cards of one suit |
| Straight | Five cards in sequence, mixed suits |
| Three of a kind | Three 7s |
| Two pair | Two jacks and two 5s |
| One pair | Two aces |
| High card | No combination; the highest card plays |
When two hands are the same type, the higher cards win: a pair of kings beats a pair of queens. If the pairs match, the highest unpaired card, called the kicker, decides it. The board belongs to everyone, so if the best five cards are all on the table, every player still in splits the pot.
Variations
Limit, pot-limit and no-limit are betting structures, not different games. No-limit is the most popular today, especially in tournaments.
Manila Hold ’em: a stripped 32-card deck, community cards turned one at a time, and a flush beats a full house.
Omaha: you get four hole cards and must use exactly two of them with exactly three from the board.
Pineapple: you get three hole cards and throw one away before the flop. In Crazy Pineapple you throw it away after the flop.
Tips from the table
Play fewer hands than you think. Big pairs, ace-king and other high cards are worth playing; most other starting hands are worth folding, especially from the early seats.
Position is power. The button acts last after the flop and sees what everyone else does first. Play more hands close to the button and fewer from the blinds.
Read the board, not just your hand. Three cards of one suit on the table means a flush is possible. Four cards to a straight means anyone holding the right card has one.
Bet for a reason: to get called by worse hands or to make better hands fold. If you can’t say which, checking is usually the better choice.
Video Guides Are on the Way
We’re filming Game Guides that walk through full hands at the table, from the deal to the score.
Frequently asked
Do I have to use both of my hole cards?
No. Your best five can use two, one or none of your hole cards. If the best hand is the board itself, everyone still in splits the pot.
What is the difference between Hold ’em and Texas Hold ’em?
They are the same game. Texas Hold ’em is the full name and Hold ’em is the short one. The wider family also includes relatives such as Manila Hold ’em and Omaha.
Who acts first?
Before the flop, the player to the left of the big blind. After the flop, the first player still in to the left of the button.
Do suits matter in Hold ’em?
Only for making a flush. No suit outranks another, so two flushes with the same ranks tie.
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