Texas Hold'em is the most popular form of poker in the world, and the rules
are simple enough to learn in an afternoon. This guide takes you from never
having held a chip to understanding every part of a hand: the button, the
blinds, position, the hand rankings, and exactly how the betting works.
All-In Poker ToolComplete beginnerAbout 12 minutes
Your goal is to win chips, and there are two ways to do it. You either make
the best five-card hand at showdown, or you make everyone else fold before
showdown so the pot is yours by default. Both count the same.
Every player is dealt two private cards, called your hole cards.
Over the course of the hand, five shared cards, the community cards,
are dealt face up in the middle of the table. You build your best five-card
hand using any combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards.
You can use both hole cards, one, or even none of them. The five cards that
make your strongest hand are all that matter at showdown.
A round of betting happens between each stage of dealing. Most hands are
won well before showdown, simply because everyone else folded. Betting is
the real game, not the cards alone.
2 The button and the blinds
Before any cards are dealt, two players are forced to put chips in. These
forced bets are called the blinds, and they exist to give
everyone something to fight over from the very first card.
The white disc marked D is the dealer button.
It marks who is "on the button," the best seat at the table. The player to the
button's left posts the small blind, and the player to their
left posts the big blind, usually double the small blind.
A nine-handed table at $1/$2. The button (BTN) is highlighted,
the small blind has posted $1 and the big blind
has posted $2. Those chips form the starting pot.
After every hand, the button moves one seat clockwise, so the blinds rotate
too. Over a full circle, everyone pays the blinds an equal number of times.
That rotation is what keeps the game fair.
Heads-up (just two players), the button is the small blind
and acts first before the flop, then last on every later street.
3 Position and why it matters
Position is who acts first and who acts last in a betting round. Acting later
is a real edge: you get to see what everyone else does before you decide. The
player on the button acts last on the flop, turn, and river, which is why the
button is the most profitable seat in poker.
Seats are grouped by how early they have to act. The earlier you act, the less
information you have, so you play fewer, stronger hands.
Early position
UTG, UTG+1
First to act before the flop. You have the least information, so play tight and stick to strong hands.
Middle position
MP, LJ, HJ
A few players have acted, a few are still to come. You can open up a little, but stay disciplined.
Late position
CO, BTN
The best seats. You act last after the flop and can profitably play a much wider range of hands.
The blinds
SB, BB
You already have money in, but you act first on every street after the flop. That makes them tricky to play.
Short-handed games, like six or nine-max, use the same idea with fewer seats.
The fewer the players, the more often the button comes around to you, so each
player pays the blinds more frequently and correctly plays a wider, more
aggressive range of hands.
Quick check
After the flop, which position is the last to act on every remaining street?
4 Poker hand rankings
Every hand is exactly five cards. When two players reach showdown, the higher
ranking hand wins. Here they are from strongest to weakest. This is the one
thing worth memorizing before you sit down.
1
Royal Flush
A, K, Q, J, 10, all the same suit. The unbeatable hand.
2
Straight Flush
Five cards in sequence, all the same suit.
3
Four of a Kind
All four cards of the same rank.
4
Full House
Three of a kind plus a pair.
5
Flush
Five cards of the same suit, in any order.
6
Straight
Five cards in sequence, mixed suits.
7
Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank.
8
Two Pair
Two different pairs.
9
One Pair
Two cards of the same rank.
10
High Card
No pair or better. Your highest card plays.
When two players have the same type of hand, the higher cards win. Pair of
aces beats pair of kings. If both players have the identical five-card hand,
the pot is split.
Quick check
You make a Flush. Your opponent turns over a Straight. Who wins the pot?
5 How a hand plays out
A hand of Hold'em moves through four betting rounds, called streets. Cards are
dealt, players bet, repeat. Here is the full sequence.
Preflop
Two cards each, first round of betting
Everyone gets their two hole cards. Starting with the player to the left of
the big blind, each player folds, calls the big blind, or raises. Action
continues clockwise until everyone still in has put in the same amount.
Flop
Three community cards
Three community cards are dealt face up. A new round of betting begins, this
time starting with the first active player to the left of the button. Now
you can start to see how your hole cards connect with the board.
Turn
A fourth community card
A fourth card joins the board, followed by another round of betting. Bets
are often larger here because the pot has grown and there is one card left
to come.
River
The fifth and final community card
The fifth card completes the board. There is one last round of betting. No
more cards are coming, so your hand is now whatever it is going to be.
Showdown
Cards on the table
If two or more players are still in after the river betting, they reveal
their hole cards. The best five-card hand wins the pot. If everyone folded
before this point, the last player standing wins without showing anything.
6 Your betting options
When it is your turn, you always have a small set of choices. Which ones are
available depends on whether anyone has bet before you in this round.
Check
Pass the action with no bet, staying in for free. Only possible if nobody has bet yet this round.
Bet
Put chips in when no one else has yet this round. Now others must at least match it to continue.
Call
Match the current bet to stay in the hand and see the next card.
Raise
Increase the current bet. Everyone still in must now match the new, higher amount.
Fold
Give up your cards and any chance at the pot. You lose nothing more, but you are out of the hand.
All-in
Bet every chip you have. You can still win, but only up to the amount you put in.
Quick check
It is your turn on the flop. Nobody has bet yet, and you would like to see
the next card without putting any chips in. What do you do?
7 Showdown: who wins
At showdown, each remaining player makes their best five-card hand from their
two hole cards and the five community cards. Compare the hands using the
ranking ladder, and the strongest one wins.
Suppose the final board is this:
YouPair of aces
OpponentPair of kings
Both of you have one pair, so the higher pair wins. Your aces beat their kings.
If the best five cards are identical for both players, the pot is split
evenly. Sometimes the board itself is the best hand and everyone still in
chops the pot.
Quick check
Using the board below, you have a pair of aces and your opponent has a pair
of kings. Who wins?
8 Starting hand basics
You will not play every hand. Good players fold most of the time and wait for
spots worth contesting. As a beginner, leaning tight is the single fastest way
to stop losing chips.
A simple starting framework:
Always strong: big pairs like aces, kings, and queens, plus ace-king. Raise these from any seat.
Usually playable: medium pairs, two high cards, and suited connectors, especially in late position.
Position widens your range: a hand you would fold under the gun can be a fine raise on the button.
Junk folds: offsuit hands with a gap and no high card, like 9-4 offsuit, belong in the muck.
When you do enter a pot, it is usually better to come in raising rather than
just calling. Raising takes the lead and gives you a second way to win, by
making opponents fold.
Our range charts show exactly which
hands to open from each position, and the odds calculator
lets you see how any two hands stack up.
9 Common beginner mistakes
Playing too many hands. Most starting hands are losers. Folding is not weak, it is most of the game.
Calling too much. Calling only wins if you have the best hand. Betting and raising can also win by making opponents fold.
Ignoring position. The same cards are worth far more on the button than under the gun. Let your seat guide you.
Chasing every draw. Drawing to a flush or straight is fine when the price is right, but paying big bets to chase is how stacks disappear.
Going on tilt. One bad beat is not a reason to play recklessly. Decisions, not single results, are what make you a winner.
A quick word on etiquette: act in turn, keep your cards visible on the table,
and do not reveal a folded hand while others are still playing. Be friendly.
Poker is more fun when the table is relaxed.
10 Test yourself
Want to be sure it all stuck? Here are ten quick scenarios covering everything
above. They are completely optional, so open them only if you feel like checking
your understanding.
Answered 0 of 10 correctly
After a hand finishes, which way does the dealer button move?
Who posts the big blind?
Two players hold the exact same cards, one on the button and one under the gun. Who is in the stronger spot?
Which hand is stronger, a full house or a flush?
Does three of a kind beat two pair?
You have two hearts, and three more hearts come on the board. What is your hand?
Someone bets, and you are confident your hand is beaten. What is the cheapest way out?
It is checked to you on the turn and you also have nothing you want to bet. You would like a free card. What do you do?
Which community card is dealt first?
How many cards make up your final poker hand at showdown?
Key takeaways
Make the best five-card hand from your two hole cards and the five community cards, or win by making everyone fold.
The button is the best seat because it acts last after the flop. Position is one of the biggest edges in poker.
Memorize the hand rankings. When hands are the same type, the higher cards win.
Play fewer, stronger hands, and tend to enter pots with a raise rather than a call.
Ready to put it into practice?
Test what you learned on real hands, then sharpen your reads with the rest of the toolkit.
