How to play Texas hold’em

Texas hold ‘em is the daddy of all poker games – by far and away the most popular of all poker variants, with millions of people playing all over the world. If you've ever watched poker on TV, chances are it was Texas hold ‘em.

It’s also a very easy game to pick up – a few quick pointers and you should be able to follow the course of play, including betting and understanding what makes up a winning hand. But remember, like all great games, Texas hold ‘em is easy to play but difficult to master. Just knowing the rules won’t make you a winner – only patience, experience and, most important of all, knowledge can do that. Lucky for you there is a lot of good information right here in the PKR Poker School. So remember: keep playing, keep learning and good luck!

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Texas hold 'em is easy to play but difficult to master.
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The aim of the game

In Texas hold ‘em poker you want to make the best five-card hand, with seven cards available to use. To start, you’ll be dealt two cards – which you’ll keep to yourself. The remaining five cards are community cards which are dealt face-up in the middle to be used by every player to make hands.

Betting after the deal

After the hole cards are dealt, you have the chance to fold, call, or bet – depending on how good a hand you think you can build. The action starts with the player to the immediate left of the big blind.

After the deal you have to at least call this bet to stay in the hand or you can fold if you don’t fancy your luck. Checking isn't an option here because the players who posted the blinds have effectively opened the betting,

The action moves around the table in a clockwise direction until each player has called, folded, or raised. If nobody has raised by the time the betting gets to the big blind, they can either check their own blind or raise.

In limit games betting is limited to three raises – in other words betting is capped once three raises have been made at the table. In no-limit Texas hold ‘em betting continues until all players have either called the maximum bet or gone ‘all-in’ (bet all of their chips). If bets continue to go up after a player is all-in, a side pot is created to cover that bet.

The flop

OK, now that the first round of betting is out of the way, it's time to see the flop.

The flop is made up of three cards, dealt face-up in the middle of the table (‘on the board’). Each player can use these community cards to build their hand.

Now it's time for another round of betting. This time the betting starts with the player to the immediate left of the dealer, regardless of whether the dealer is still active in the hand or not. The player to the left of the dealer will keep the initial action for the rest of the hand. Other than that, betting is the same as it was before the flop.

The turn card

Again this is used by all players to construct their hands and is followed by a round of betting just like after the flop.

The river

Four down, one to go. Now it’s time for the fifth and final community card to be dealt – the river. Now that all the cards have been dealt, each player remaining in the hand can see what their best five-card hand is.

This is also the final round of betting.

The showdown

Here comes the crunch, time to see who takes the pot. Each player who has remained in the hand can now show their cards, starting with the last person to bet, and then moving round the table clockwise. Players who know they’re beaten have the option of ‘mucking’ (throwing their cards away without showing). But the last player to bet (and first to show) always has to show their cards.

Seeing what cards other players have, even if they lose, is critical in developing a good strategy (more on that in the guide) so it’s always a good idea to take note when you have the chance.

Hand rankings

From first to worst, hands in Texas hold 'em are ranked as follows...

Royal flush
The daddy of all poker hands, a royal flush is a straight flush involving the 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace.
Straight flush
A straight (see below) but with all the cards in the same suit.
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same rank, for example four Queens.
Full house
A combination of a pair and three of a kind.
Flush
Five cards of the same suit, for example five diamonds.
Straight
Five cards in sequential rank order, for example 8, 9, 10, Jack and a Queen. An ace may be used as both a high and a low card.
Three of a kind
Also called trips, this is where you have three cards of the same rank, for example three sevens.
Two Pair
Two sets of cards of the same rank, for example two queens and two sixes.
Pair
Any two cards of the same rank, for example two Queens. The ranking of pairs mirrors that of the cards in general, so the strongest pair is a pair of Aces and the weakest a pair of 2s.
High card
The highest ranked card is an Ace, and the ranking runs from the Ace down through the picture cards all the way to 2.

A final note...

If this all seems a bit complicated, it really isn’t. The best way to get familiar with the mechanics of Texas hold ‘em is to play the game. Luckily you can do that for free simply by going into one of our play money rooms.