Learn how to play Texas Hold'em in 5 minutes. It's the most popular poker format for home games. Here's everything you need to deal your first hand tonight.
Make the best five-card poker hand using any combination of your two private hole cards and the five shared community cards on the table. You can use both, one, or neither of your hole cards.
A round disc called the button marks the dealer position. It rotates clockwise after each hand, and whoever holds it acts last in every betting round except preflop, a real strategic advantage. RbPkr shows this below the community cards in the shared view.
Before cards are dealt, two players post forced bets called blinds: the player immediately left of the button posts the smaller small blind, and the next player posts the larger big blind (typically twice the small blind). These forced bets are what give players something to compete for right from the start.
Starting with the player to the left of the button, each player receives two cards face-down. These are your hole cards, visible only to you.
There are four betting rounds in Texas Hold'em.
Preflop. Betting begins with the player to the left of the big blind. Each player can fold (discard their hand and forfeit the pot), call (match the current bet), or raise (increase it).
The flop. Three community cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table, and a new betting round begins with the first active player to the left of the button.
The turn. A fourth community card is dealt, followed by another betting round.
The river. The fifth and final community card is dealt, followed by the last betting round.
If two or more players remain after the final betting round, they reveal their hands, and whoever has the best five-card hand wins the pot. If everyone else folds at any point, the last player standing wins the pot without needing to show anything.
Check. Pass the action without betting, only possible when no bet has been made yet.
All-in. Bet every chip a player has left.
Side pot. A separate pot created when one player is all-in and others keep betting beyond what they can match.
Kicker. An unpaired card that breaks a tie between two otherwise-equal hands.
A, K, Q, J, 10, all the same suit.
Five consecutive cards, all the same suit.
Four cards of the same rank.
Three of a kind plus a separate pair.
Five cards of the same suit, not in order.
Five consecutive cards, mixed suits.
Three cards of the same rank.
Two different pairs.
Two cards of the same rank.
No other hand made, so the highest card plays.
What are the best starting hands in Texas Hold'em? Before the flop even comes down, some hands are simply stronger than others. Big pocket pairs (Aces, Kings, Queens) and big suited connectors like Ace-King are the best starting hands, while 7-2 offsuit is famously the worst. See our guide to chips, cards, and position for how starting hand strength should actually shape your decisions.
Hosting a home game? See the full poker guides for tournament structure, chip setup, house rules, and more.