How to Play Texas Hold’em Poker: A Beginner’s Guide

Texas Hold’em is the world’s most-played poker game—online and in live rooms. If you’re starting from scratch, this guide walks you through the table setup, the flow of a hand from preflop to river, and the hand order that decides who wins.

Texas Hold’em Table & Setup (The Basics)

• Players: Games run heads-up, 6-max (six seats), or 9-max (nine seats).
• Blinds: The two seats to the left of the dealer post the small blind and big blind to create action.
• Hole Cards: Everyone gets two face-down cards.
• Community Cards: Five shared cards are dealt face-up. Make the best five-card hand using any combo of your two cards and the board.

Poker Hand Rankings (Strongest → Weakest)

1. Royal Flush – Ten to Ace in the same suit
2. Straight Flush – Five in a row, same suit
3. Four of a Kind – Four cards of the same rank
4. Full House – Three of a kind + a pair
5. Flush – Any five cards in the same suit
6. Straight – Five in sequence, any suits
7. Three of a Kind – Three of the same rank
8. Two Pair – Two different pairs
9. One Pair – One pair
10. High Card – No made hand; highest card wins

Quick tip: When two players share the same hand type, kickers (unused card ranks) decide the winner.

Betting Rounds (How a Hand Unfolds)

1. Preflop: Blinds are posted, two hole cards dealt. Action starts left of the big blind—fold, call, or raise.
2. Flop: Three community cards are dealt. Another betting round.
3. Turn: A fourth community card is dealt. Another round.
4. River: The fifth card is dealt. Final betting, then showdown.
   If everyone folds to a bet at any point, the last player standing takes the pot without showing cards.

Popular Hold’em Formats

• No-Limit Hold’em (NLH): Bet any amount at any time; the standard in most games and events.
• Pot-Limit Hold’em (PLH): Bets and raises are capped by the current pot size.
• Fixed-Limit Hold’em (FLH): Bets follow set increments per street.
• Short Deck (6+): Cards 2–5 are removed. Hand values change in many rooms—in most Short Deck rules a flush ranks above a full house, but always check the posted rules before you play.
• Pineapple / Crazy Pineapple: You receive three hole cards and discard one (timing depends on the variant).

Quick Starter Tips

• Play fewer hands preflop, but play them more aggressively.
• Position matters: you see more information when acting later.
• Size your bets with a plan—what worse hands call and what better hands fold.
• Track stack sizes; effective stacks change strategy on every street.

Texas Hold’em FAQs