Texas Hold'em gives each player two private cards and deals five shared cards face up in the middle. You win the pot by holding the best five-card hand from those seven cards at the showdown, or by betting so that everyone else folds. A table seats two to ten players; online rooms mostly run six-seat and nine-seat games.
The button and the blinds
A dealer button marks the dealer's seat, which acts last after the flop, and it moves one seat clockwise after every hand. Online the software deals, but the button still sets the order of play.
The two players to the left of the button post forced bets before any cards are dealt: the small blind and the big blind, usually double the small blind. At a £0.50/£1 table the blinds are 50p and £1. In tournaments the blinds rise at set intervals, and many add antes later on.
How a hand plays out
- Hole cards. Each player is dealt two cards face down.
- Pre-flop betting. The player to the left of the big blind acts first and play moves clockwise. The big blind acts last and can check if nobody has raised.
- The flop. Three community cards are dealt face up, then a betting round starts with the first player still in the hand to the left of the button.
- The turn. A fourth community card, then another betting round.
- The river. The fifth and final community card, then the last betting round.
- The showdown. Players still in show their cards and the best five-card hand wins. You can use both, one or neither of your hole cards, and identical hands split the pot.
Your betting options
- Fold: give up your cards and any claim on the pot.
- Check: pass without betting, allowed only if nobody has bet in the round.
- Call: match the current bet.
- Bet or raise: put in chips for the others to match, or increase an existing bet.
- All in: bet all your chips. If you can't match a bet, you can go all in for less, but you can only win as much from each opponent as you put in yourself. The extra chips form a side pot between the others.
No-limit, pot-limit and fixed-limit
| Format | How much you can bet |
|---|---|
| No-limit | Any amount up to all your chips. A raise must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise in that round, so if someone bets £4, the minimum raise is to £8. |
| Pot-limit | Up to the size of the pot. To raise, count your call first, then raise by up to the new size of the pot. |
| Fixed-limit | Set amounts: a small bet in the first two rounds and double that on the turn and river, with the number of raises in each round usually capped. |
No-limit Hold'em is the most popular game online, and the one our strategy guides use.
Heads-up: the one exception
With only two players, the button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop, then last in every later round. Once you know the order of play, learn which hands beat which and how to use pot odds when deciding whether to call.
FAQs
How many cards do you get in Texas Hold'em?
You get two private hole cards, and five shared community cards are dealt face up in three stages: three on the flop, one on the turn and one on the river. You make your best five-card hand from those seven cards, using both, one or neither of your own.
What is the difference between the small blind and the big blind?
Both are forced bets posted before the cards are dealt, by the two players to the left of the dealer button. The big blind is the larger, usually double the small blind, and sets the minimum bet for the hand. Before the flop, the big blind acts last.
Can you play the board in Texas Hold'em?
Yes. If the five community cards make your best hand, you are playing the board, and every other player who can't beat it splits the pot with you. For example, if the board is a straight and nobody holds a card that makes a higher one, the pot is shared.