Texas Holdem Rules

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Texas Holdem Rules
If you’re just getting started learning Texas Holdem, keep

this guide handy for quick reference. If you ever get
confused by the action, read below for some guidance.
Each topic contains links to more in-depth articles on

that specific aspect of Texas Holdem rules. When you
feel you’ve got the hang of it and are ready to play
some real money online poker, check out our Texas
Hold’em poker site rankings for the best places to get
right into a Texas Holdem game online.
Before we get into describing the full rules and game

play, here’s a quick glossary of terms you’ll encounter:
Blinds: Short for “blind bets,” these are the forced bets

made before the cards are dealt. In Hold’em, blinds take
the place of the classic “ante.”
Button: Nickname for the player acting as the dealer in
1 di 19 27/12/2019, 09:24
current hand.
Check: Similar to a call but no money is bet. If there is

no raise preflop, the big blind may check.
Flop: The first three community cards dealt.
Fourth Street: See Turn.
Fifth Street: See River.
All-In: A player puts all of his or her remaining chips into

the pot
Preflop: Anything that occurs before the flop is dealt is

preflop.
River: The final (5th) community card dealt; also known

as fifth street.
Showdown: When players reveal their hands to

discover the pot’s winner.
Turn: The fourth community card dealt; also known

as fourth street
Read More:
Poker Terms A-Z | Poker Glossary
How to Play Texas Hold’em
Watch our How to Play Texas Hold’em introductory video

below and read on underneath for a more detailed look
at all of Texas Hold’em’s unique rules.
Texas Hold’em is a community card poker game with
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game play focused as much on the betting as on the

cards being played.
Although the rules and game play are the same the end
goal is slightly different depending on if you’re playing a
Texas Holdem cash game or a Texas Holdem
tournament.
A Texas Hold’em tournament is the same as any other

game of Hold’em with a few added rules and twists.
Learn more about the unique rules of Texas Holdem
poker tournaments.
A Texas Holdem cash game is played on a single table

with 2 to 10 players. The goal is simple: win as many
chips as you can, one pot at a time.
You win a pot by having the best hand or by having all

other players fold before the showdown.
A Texas Hold’em game can be broken up into three

main parts:
Setup
Betting Rounds
Showdown
How to play Texas Hold'em - 2 Minute Crash

Course
You don't have much time? Our short video will teach
you the basics of Texas Hold'em in just 2 minutes!
3 di 19 27/12/2019, 09:24
Texas Holdem Rules – The Dealer Button
Texas Hold'em Live Dealer
Once you have your players around the table the first
thing you need to have is chips. Before you can figure
out what kind of chips to give each player, you need to
understand how the game works a little better, so we’ll
get back to this.
For now, assume all players have chips in front of

them.
The next step is picking the player who will start with the
dealer button. Hold’em is played with what’s known as a
rotating dealer, meaning a player will act as the dealer
for one hand and then pass the role of dealer on to the
player on their left when the hand is completed.
To choose the dealer, either deal every player one card

or spread the cards facedown on the table and have
every player choose one. The player with the highest-
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valued card (aces are high for selecting a dealer) starts

as the dealer.
The Button
If you’re in a live poker room or casino with a

professional dealer (or someone volunteers to always
physically deal the cards) the dealer button will still rotate
around the table.
Even though he or she is physically dealing the cards,

for all intents and purposes the person with the button is
viewed as being the dealer for the hand.
Once the hand completes the player with the dealer

button will pass it to the player on his or her left.
Texas Hold’em Rules – The Blinds
Chips for Texas Hold'em
Now that you have a dealer, you need to put out the
blinds. There are two blinds in Texas Holdem – a small
blind and a big blind.
These are forced bets required by two players to make

sure there are some chips in the pot worth playing for.
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Without any money in the pot all players might be

inclined to fold much more often, slowing down the
action considerably.
The player directly to the left of the dealer puts out the

small blind. The big blind (usually double that of the
small blind) is then paid by the player to the left of the
small blind. The size of the blinds will dictate the stakes
of the game you’re about to play.
Typically, you want players to buy in for no less than 100

times the size of the big blind.
If you want to buy in for $20 you should play with blinds

of 10¢/20¢. For convenience, most people will
play 10¢/25¢.
At a live casino or poker room the maximum and

minimum amounts a player can be in for will be in
relation to the blinds. For example in a $1/$2 game the
table minimum is usually $40 (20x the big blind) and the
maximum is $200 (100x the big blind).
Related Reading:
14 Essential Tips for Your First Time Playing Poker in a

Casino
How to Beat Live $1/$2 No-Limit Hold’em Poker
Back to the chips: If you’re playing in a live casino or

online your chips will be provided for you in increments
that make sense for the stakes you’re playing.
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If you’re playing at home, you’ll need to determine which

chips to use and how to distribute them. Once the blinds
are set we know what kind of chips we’ll need to play
with. (In the above example we’d use 10¢ chips, 25¢
chips and maybe a few $1 chips.)
You want to give players enough chips in each

denomination to allow the game to run
smoothly. Typically a player will need only 10% of their
total chips in the smallest denomination, as they are only
ever used to pay the small blind. For the most part, all
betting will be done with chips larger than that of the
small blind.
Once you have the chips sorted out and the first blinds in
the pot, you’re now ready to deal the first hand.
Related Reading:
How to Host the Perfect Poker Home Game: Chips,

Cards and Set-Up
Texas Holdem Betting Rules
The person dealing the cards deals to the left of the

player with the dealer button first and rotates clockwise
around the table. Each player gets one card at a time
until each player has two cards, both face down.
These are known as your hole cards and they are for

your use alone when making your final 5-card poker
hand.
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A round of Texas Hold’em consists of a minimum of one

and a maximum of four betting rounds. A hand ends
when all players but one have folded or the fourth and
final betting round completes with multiple players still in
the hand – whichever comes first.
At that point players enter into the showdown (to be

explained in the next section) and the player with the
highest hand takes the pot. If two players share the
highest hand, the pot is split equally between them.
Texas Holdem Betting Rules – Pre-Flop
(Note: The following betting rules apply to Limit Hold’em

Poker. See more about No-Limit and Pot-Limit betting
formats here.)
When all players receive their hole cards you’re now in

the pre-flop betting round. Each player looks at his or her
cards and decides what action to take. In Hold’em only
one player can act at a time.
The pre-flop betting round starts with the player to the

left of the big blind. This player has three options:
Fold: Pay nothing to the pot and throw away their hand,

waiting for the next deal to play again.
Call: Match the amount of the big blind (pre-flop this is

also known as “limping in.”)
Raise: Raise the bet by doubling the amount of the big

blind. (Note: a player may raise more depending on the
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betting style being played, again see the rules for No-
Limit and Pot-Limit above.)
Once a player has made their action the player to the left
of them gets their turn to act. Each player is given the
same options: fold, call the current bet (if the previous
player raised, that is the amount you must call; if no one
has bet it’s the big blind amount) or raise.
In Limit Hold’em a raise is always the amount of one

bet in addition to the amount of the previous bet. For
example: if the big blind is 25¢ and the first player to act
would like to raise they put in a total of 50¢ (the big blind
+ one additional bet).
If the next player would like to re-raise they would put in

a total of 75¢ (the previous bet + one additional bet).
Again, though, in No-Limit Hold’em a player can bet as
much as the total amount of their chips on the table
at any time.
A Texas Hold’em betting round ends when two

conditions are met:
1. All players have had a chance to act.
2. All players who haven’t folded have bet the same

amount of money for the round.
Example Betting Round 1
There are five players at the table:
Player 1 – Button
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Player 2 – Small Blind (10¢)
Player 3 – Big Blind (25¢)
Player 4 – Under the Gun
Player 5 – Cut-Off
Start of betting round
Player 4 – Calls the big blind (25¢)
Player 5 – folds
Player 2 – Calls the big blind (since they already have

10¢ bet, they only have to add another 15¢, for a total of
25¢)
Player 3 – Checks (since they already have the bet

matched, they do not need to add more money to call;
this is called checking)
End of betting round
When Player 2 calls the big blind all players now have
the same amount of money in front of them. But Player 3
(the big blind) has not had a chance to act so the betting
round is not over. Once Player 3 checks both conditions
are met and the betting round is over.
Example Betting Round 2
There are five players at the table:
Player 1 – Button
Player 2 – Small Blind (10¢)
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Player 3 – Big Blind (25¢)
Player 4 – Under the Gun
Player 5 – Cut-Off
Start of betting round
Player 5 – Raises (50¢)
Player 1 – Folds
Player 2 – Folds
Player 3 – Reraises (they already have 25¢ in as the big

blind. They complete the bet of 50¢, and add one
additional bet for a total of 75¢)
Player 4 – Folds (their previous call of 25¢ is now in the

pot)
Player 5 – Calls (matches the bet of Player 3 for a total

of 75¢)
End of betting round
In this scenario all players had had a chance to act when

Player 3 made the re-raise. But all players did not have
the same amount of money bet. Once Player 4 folds,
only Player 3 and Player 5 are left in the pot. When
Player 5 calls, both conditions are met and the betting
round ends.
Related Reading:
No-Limit Texas Hold’em Betting Rules
11 di 19 27/12/2019, 09:24
Texas Holdem Betting Rules – The Flop
The flop in Texas Hold'em
Once the preflop betting round ends, the flop is dealt.

This is done by dealing the top card in the deck
facedown on the table (called the “burn” card, it’s not in
play), followed by three cards face-up in the middle of
the table (see below).
These are the community flop cards which all players

can use to make their best 5-card poker hand.
Once the flop has been dealt the first post-flop betting
round begins. The rules of a post-flop betting round are
the same as a pre-flop with two small exceptions:
The first player to act is the next player with a hand to

the left of the dealer
The first player to act can check or bet; as there has

been no bet made, calling is free.
A bet on the flop in Limit Holdem is the amount of the big

blind. In No-Limit it has to be at least twice the size of the
big blind but can be as much as all of a player’s chips.
In our Limit Hold’em game as described above, a player

must put out 25¢ to make a bet in the first post-flop
betting round.
Texas Holdem Betting Rules – The Turn
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A turn card is dealt
Once the betting round on the flop completes (meaning

any players who want to see the next card have matched
the value of any bets), the dealer again ‘burns” one card
facedown out of play followed by a single card face-up in
the middle of the table beside the 3 flop cards (see
image below).
Once the turn has been dealt the third betting round
starts.
The third betting round in Limit Hold’em is identical to the

flop betting round with one single exception: The size of
a bet for this round, and the final betting round, is
doubled meaning that to make a bet in our game will
now cost a player 50¢.
In No-Limit Hold’em a player can again bet any amount

of their chips as long as it’s at least twice the big blind or
double that of any previous bet.
Texas Holdem Betting Rules – The River
Full board with river
Assuming more than one player is left having not folded

on one of the previous streets, the river is now dealt.
Dealing the river is identical as dealing the turn with one
card being burned facedown followed by a single card
face-up.
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This is the final street and no more cards will be dealt in

this hand. The betting round is identical to the betting
round on the turn.
Showdown
Once the river betting round has been completed the

players now enter into the showdown. At this point the
best 5-card poker hand wins the pot. Here are the rules
you need to know about a Hold’em showdown:
Our which hand wins calculator
The player who bet on the river is the default first

player to reveal their hand. If any other players choose
to show their hand first, that is OK.
If no betting happened on the river (all players

checked), the player closest to the left of the dealer
must open their hand first, continuing clockwise
around the table.
If a player is holding a losing hand it is their option to

reveal their cards or simply muck their hand and
concede the pot.
For more on How to Determine the Winning Texas

Hold’em Hand and Which Hand Wins, check the links
below:
How to Determine the Winning Poker Hand
Which Poker Hand Wins Calculator
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Official Poker Hand Rankings
Texas Holdem Rules – Best 5-Card Hand
In Hold’em you must make the best 5-card hand

possible using any combination of your two hole
cards and the five community cards on the table.
You can use both, one or none of your own hole cards

to make your best hand. Here are some rules about
evaluating a winning poker hand:
Remember the official poker hand rankings. There are

no exceptions to this order: a flush always beats a
straight; three of a kind always beats two pair, etc.
There are no hands used in Hold’em other than the

hands listed in this chart. For example having three pairs
is actually only “two pair,” and the highest-valued two
pair make up your final hand.
Final poker hands must be exactly 5

cards and only those five cards are used to evaluate the
winning hand.
Showdown Example
The board is 2♥J♣Q♣K♠A♦

Player 1 holds 10♠9♣
Player 2 holds 10♣2♣
Both players hold the very same hand (a straight from

ten to ace). This means the pot is split between the two
players. The remaining cards and the fact Player 1 also
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has a pair means nothing – only the best five-card hand

factors into deciding the winner.
If all remaining players have nothing (no pair or anything

stronger), the winning hand is the hand with the highest-
valued single card, meaning:
A♣3♥4♦6♠7♠ is a better hand than K♠Q♠J♣9♣8♦
A♣J♥9♠8♦6♥ is a better hand than A♥J♣9♦8♣2♠
Suits are never used to evaluate the strength of a hand.
Once you determine the winning poker hand that player

receives the pot. The dealer passes the dealer button to
his or her left and the two players to the left of the new
dealer put out their big and small blinds respectively.
More Texas Holdem Rules
Raising
A player must either declare their intent to raise verbally

before making any actions or bring the amount of chips
equal to the total amount of their raise into play at the
same time. A player is not allowed to place chips, return
to their stack and place more chips. This is known as a
string bet.
Solutions to any other random situation you come across

can be found here.
Buying Chips
The minimum number of chips a player is allowed to buy
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before their first hand dealt is determined by the house

rules governing the game. Typically a minimum is 50-100
times the big blind.
There is no maximum to the number of chips a player

may buy at any time.
In a cash game a player may reload, or add more chips

to their stack, at any time between hands. Once a hand
is started, a player may only use the chips they had in
play at the beginning of the hand, during that hand. Any
additional chips will not be “in play” until the next deal.
Play Texas Hold'em Online
Do you think you have what it takes to beat your

opponents? Why not sign up at one of the many online
poker rooms and test the waters?
We have tested all big poker sites and those are the
ones we can recommend:
Practice Texas Hold’em Online Free!
While the rules of Texas Hold’em might seem a bit

complex in spots they really are quite easy to pick up in
practice. And there’s nothing more important to learning
the game than playing some actual Texas Holdem poker
hands in real life.
This can easily be done at home among friends (check

out our full guide to running an amazing poker home
17 di 19 27/12/2019, 09:24
game), at a real live casino or at an online poker site.
Playing Texas Holdem online might even be the easiest

way to get comfortable with the rules of Texas Hold’em
as you can play hands at a much faster pace. You can
choose to play for real money, of course, or you can start
playing the free Texas Holdem games offered at every
site.
Check our page for the best places to play free Texas
Holdem online here:
Free Poker Online
Related Reading:
How to Get Started Playing Poker Online
More on How to Play Texas Holdem Poker
Texas Holdem Tournament Rules
No Limit Texas Holdem and Pot Limit Holdem Betting

Rules
How to Play Limit Hold’em Poker | Limit Holdem Rules
Odd Texas Holdem Poker Rules and Situations
How to Play Poker – The Ultimate Guide for Poker

Beginners
Best Online Poker Bonus Offers
Beginner Texas Hold’em Strategy
10 Essential Texas Hold’em Moves: The Check-Raise
18 di 19 27/12/2019, 09:24
Online Poker Tournament Series
19 di 19 27/12/2019, 09:24

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Texas Holdem Rules | How to Play Texas Hold'em Poker - Fast Guide about:reader?url=https://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-rules-texas...

Texas Holdem Rules | How to

If you’re just getting started learning Texas Holdem, keep

Each topic contains links to more in-depth articles on

Before we get into describing the full rules and game

Blinds: Short for “blind bets,” these are the forced bets

Button: Nickname for the player acting as the dealer in

Check: Similar to a call but no money is bet. If there is

Flop: The first three community cards dealt.

All-In: A player puts all of his or her remaining chips into

Preflop: Anything that occurs before the flop is dealt is

River: The final (5th) community card dealt; also known

Showdown: When players reveal their hands to

Turn: The fourth community card dealt; also known

Poker Terms A-Z | Poker Glossary

How to Play Texas Hold’em

Watch our How to Play Texas Hold’em introductory video

Texas Hold’em is a community card poker game with

game play focused as much on the betting as on the

A Texas Hold’em tournament is the same as any other

A Texas Holdem cash game is played on a single table

You win a pot by having the best hand or by having all

A Texas Hold’em game can be broken up into three

How to play Texas Hold'em - 2 Minute Crash

Texas Holdem Rules – The Dealer Button

Texas Hold'em Live Dealer

For now, assume all players have chips in front of

To choose the dealer, either deal every player one card

valued card (aces are high for selecting a dealer) starts

If you’re in a live poker room or casino with a

Even though he or she is physically dealing the cards,

Once the hand completes the player with the dealer

Texas Hold’em Rules – The Blinds

Chips for Texas Hold'em

These are forced bets required by two players to make

Without any money in the pot all players might be

The player directly to the left of the dealer puts out the

Typically, you want players to buy in for no less than 100

If you want to buy in for $20 you should play with blinds

At a live casino or poker room the maximum and

14 Essential Tips for Your First Time Playing Poker in a

How to Beat Live $1/$2 No-Limit Hold’em Poker

Back to the chips: If you’re playing in a live casino or

If you’re playing at home, you’ll need to determine which

You want to give players enough chips in each

How to Host the Perfect Poker Home Game: Chips,

Texas Holdem Betting Rules

The person dealing the cards deals to the left of the

These are known as your hole cards and they are for

A round of Texas Hold’em consists of a minimum of one

At that point players enter into the showdown (to be

Texas Holdem Betting Rules – Pre-Flop

(Note: The following betting rules apply to Limit Hold’em

When all players receive their hole cards you’re now in

The pre-flop betting round starts with the player to the

Fold: Pay nothing to the pot and throw away their hand,

Call: Match the amount of the big blind (pre-flop this is

Raise: Raise the bet by doubling the amount of the big

In Limit Hold’em a raise is always the amount of one

If the next player would like to re-raise they would put in

A Texas Hold’em betting round ends when two

1. All players have had a chance to act.