Texas Hold'em Rules

Texas Hold’em is the standard poker game online. Each player receives two private cards, five community cards are dealt face up in stages, and the best five-card hand from any combination of the seven wins.

Setup

A dealer button rotates clockwise each hand. The two players to its left post the small blind and big blind – forced bets that start the pot. Each player is dealt two hole cards face down.

Betting rounds

1. Preflop. Action starts left of the big blind. Players fold, call the big blind, or raise.
2. Flop. Three community cards. Action starts left of the button and continues on every later street.
3. Turn. A fourth community card, another round.
4. River. A fifth card, the final round.

If at any point all but one player fold, the remaining player wins without showing.

No-limit betting

In No-Limit Hold’em a player may bet any amount up to their whole stack at any time. A raise must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise in that round; a bet must be at least the big blind. Going all-in for less than a full raise does not reopen the betting for players who already acted, except to call.

Showdown

After the river, remaining players compare hands. The best five cards from the seven available win; suits do not break ties. Equal hands split the pot. See hand rankings.

Side pots

When a player is all-in for less than others have bet, a side pot is formed from the excess, which the all-in player cannot win. Multiple all-ins create multiple side pots, each contested only by players who contributed to it.

Variants

Limit and pot-limit Hold’em cap bet sizes and are rarely played online now. Short-deck (six-plus) removes the deuces through fives and changes the hand rankings. Strategy starts at GTO basics.