Rules To Texas Hold Em

What Are the Rules to Texas Hold’ Em?

tough to master. Whether you’re new to poker or need a quick rules refresher, this guide covers everything you need.

Here’s how a round works:

Each player is dealt two private cards (hole cards).
Five community cards are placed face-up on the table in three stages: the flop (3 cards), turn (1 card), and river (1 card).
Players form the best 5-card poker hand using any combination of their hole cards and the community cards.
The player with the highest hand (or the last player remaining after all others fold) wins the pot.

Understanding Betting Rounds and Player Actions

Texas Hold’em consists of four main betting rounds:

Pre-Flop: After each player receives their two hole cards.
Flop: After the first three community cards are revealed.
Turn: After the fourth community card.
River: After the fifth and final community card.

During each round, players can:

Check – Pass the action without betting.
Bet/Raise – Put chips into the pot.
Call – Match the current bet.
Fold – Discard their hand and exit the round.

Types of games:

No-Limit – Bet any amount at any time.
Limit – Fixed betting amounts per round.
Pot-Limit – Max bet is the current size of the pot.

Each format follows the same general rules to Texas Hold’ Em, but strategy changes based on betting limits.

What Beats What? Texas Hold'em Hand Rankings

To win, you need the strongest hand at showdown or to bluff your opponents into folding.

Here’s the official hand ranking from highest to lowest:

Royal Flush – A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠
Straight Flush – Five consecutive cards of the same suit
Four of a Kind
Full House
Flush – Five cards of the same suit
Straight – Five consecutive cards
Three of a Kind
Two Pair
One Pair
High Card

Tip: Knowing these rankings and using your position wisely is key to mastering Texas Hold’em.

Ready to play? Make sure you understand the rules to Texas Hold’ Em before you hit the table.