Texas Hold 'Em Rules

In Texas Hold 'Em, each player is dealt 2 “hole cards” which nobody else can see. During a hand, 5 more “community cards” will be added to your hand, which are visible and shared amongst all players. From these 7 total cards, your best 5-card poker hand is made. At the end of a hand, hole cards are exposed and the best hand wins!

Hand Rankings (from best to worst)

• Straight Flush - 5 sequential cards, all of the same suit

(Example: 10 9 8 7 6)

• Four-of-a-Kind - 4 cards of the same rank

(Example: K K K K J)

• Full House - Three-of-a-Kind, plus a Pair

(Example: Q Q Q 10 10)

• Flush - 5 cards of the same suit

(Example: A J 8 6 3)

• Straight - 5 sequential cards

(Example: J 10 9 8 7)

• Three-of-a-Kind - 3 cards of the same rank

(Example: 9 9 9 Q 7)

• Two Pair - 2 pairs of same-ranked cards

(Example: A A 7 7 6)

• Pair - 2 cards of the same rank

(Example: 5 5 K 10 8)

• High Card

(Example: A K 10 8 4)

A hand of poker consists of 4 betting rounds:

• “Pre-flop”: Each player is dealt 2 hole cards, followed by a round of betting
• “Flop”: 3 community cards are revealed in the middle of the table, followed by a round of betting
• “Turn”: 1 community card is revealed in the middle of the table, followed by a round of betting
• “River”: 1 final community card is revealed in the middle of the table, followed by a round of betting

A green arrow indicates whose turn it is to bet. When it is your turn, you may either:

• Check: Pass without betting any chips, but only if nobody else has opened the betting yet.
• Bet/Raise: Put additional chips into the pot, which other players must “call” if they want to continue with the hand.
• Call: Match a previous bet from another player in order to continue with the hand.
• Fold: If you are faced with a bet, you can fold to drop out of the hand if you suspect you have a losing hand
• Go All-In: On your turn, you always have the option of going “all-in”, which means to bet all of your chips.

Other rules:

• The rank of your cards gives a relative standing within the major rankings above. For example, a Two Pair consisting of Kings and Jacks beats Kings and 4s. Also, a Flush consisting of an Ace, Queen, 10, 8, 4 of diamonds beats an Ace, Queen, 10, 6, 4 of diamonds. (AQT84 vs. AQT64)

• Your hand will ALWAYS be 5 cards, so very often, the cards that complete the hand (known as “kickers”) will determine the winner. For example, a Three-of-a-Kind of three 8s, with an Ace and a Jack, will beat three 8s with an Ace and a 9. (888AJ vs. 888A9)

• At the start of a hand, the players to the left of the dealer button will be “Small Blind” and “Big Blind”, which are forced bets that others must call in order to continue with the hand.