Texas Hold'em Poker Basics | Generated by AI
Question: How do you play Texas Hold’em poker?
Answer:
Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker variant. Here’s a clear step-by-step guide to No-Limit Texas Hold’em (the version played in most casinos and the World Series of Poker).
Objective
Build the best 5-card poker hand (or convince others you have it) to win the pot.
Basic Hand Rankings (from best to worst)
- Royal Flush (A-K-Q-J-10 same suit)
- Straight Flush (any five consecutive cards same suit)
- Four of a Kind
- Full House (three of a kind + a pair)
- Flush (five cards same suit)
- Straight (five consecutive cards, any suits)
- Three of a Kind
- Two Pair
- One Pair
- High Card
Setup
- 2 to 10 players
- Standard 52-card deck (no jokers)
- Dealer button (rotates clockwise each hand)
- Two forced bets: Small Blind (left of button) and Big Blind (left of small blind)
The Deal
Each player is dealt 2 private cards face down (called “hole cards”).
Betting Rounds (4 total)
- Pre-Flop
- After hole cards are dealt
- Action starts with player left of Big Blind
- Options: Call (match big blind), Raise (at least 2× big blind), or Fold
- Flop
- Dealer places 3 community cards face up in the middle
- Betting starts with player left of dealer button
- Turn
- Dealer places 1 more community card (4 total now)
- Another betting round
- River
- Dealer places final community card (5 total now)
- Final betting round
Showdown
- If 2+ players remain after river betting, they reveal hole cards
- Best 5-card hand using any combination of their 2 hole cards + 5 community cards wins the pot
- If everyone folds to a bet/raise, the last player wins without showing cards
Player Actions (in order)
- Fold – give up hand
- Check – pass action (only if no bet before you)
- Bet – put chips in (first voluntary bet)
- Call – match current bet
- Raise – match and increase the bet
- All-in – bet all your remaining chips
Blinds & Antes
- Blinds rotate each hand
- In tournaments, antes (small forced bets from everyone) are added later
Quick Example Hand
- Blinds: $1/$2
- You get A♠ K♠ in late position
- Pre-flop: someone raises to $6, you call
- Flop: A♥ 7♦ 2♠ → you have top pair, top kicker
- Turn: Q♣
- River: 5♥
- Opponent bets $20, you raise to $60, they fold → you win pot without showdown
Key Tips for Beginners
- Play tight-aggressive: only strong hands, bet/raise when you play them
- Position matters: act last = big advantage
- Don’t play every hand — most starting hands are trash
- Learn pot odds and basic strategy (start with pre-flop hand charts)
That’s it! Once you know these rules, you can sit down at any Texas Hold’em table (cash game or tournament) and play.
Enjoy the game — and may the flops be with you! ♠️♦️♣️♥️