Texas Hold'em

Overview

Texas Hold'em is the most popular poker variant in the world. It's a community card game where players combine their two private hole cards with five shared community cards to make the best possible five-card poker hand.

The game features four betting rounds and can be played as No-Limit (the most common), Pot-Limit, or Fixed-Limit. For the full game database entry including strategy depth charts, visit Poker Game Database.

Number of Players

2–10 players. Optimal play is typically 6–9 players.

The Deal

Each player receives two private cards (hole cards) that belong to them alone. Five community cards are then dealt face-up in three stages:

• The Flop: Three community cards dealt simultaneously
• The Turn: A fourth community card
• The River: The fifth and final community card

Betting Rounds

• Pre-Flop: After receiving hole cards. Starts with the player to the left of the big blind.
• Flop: After three community cards are dealt. Starts with the player to the left of the dealer button.
• Turn: After the fourth community card.
• River: After the fifth community card. Last chance to bet before showdown.

Blinds

Texas Hold'em uses forced bets called blinds to seed the pot:

• Small Blind: Half the minimum bet, posted by the player immediately left of the dealer button.
• Big Blind: Equal to the minimum bet (one full bet), posted by the player two seats left of the button.

How to Play

1. Small blind and big blind are posted.
2. Each player receives two hole cards face-down.
3. Pre-flop betting round — starting with the player to the left of the big blind. The big blind may raise if no one else has raised ("the option").
4. The Flop — three community cards are dealt face-up. Betting round begins.
5. The Turn — fourth community card is dealt. Betting round begins.
6. The River — fifth community card is dealt. Final betting round.
7. Showdown — remaining players reveal their hands. The best five-card hand using any combination of hole cards and community cards wins.

Hand Rankings

Players make the best five-card hand from any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards. Standard high hand rankings apply — see Hand Rankings for the full chart.

Strategy Tips

• Starting hand selection is critical — play strong hands, especially in early position.
• Position matters enormously. Late position (near the button) gives you more information before you act.
• Pay attention to the texture of the board — paired boards, suited boards, and connected boards change what hands your opponents might hold.
• Manage your bankroll. A single session should not risk more than you can comfortably lose.
• Watch your opponents' betting patterns for tells about their hand strength.