How to play Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is played with a standard 52-card deck and two to ten players. Each player is dealt two private cards — the hole cards — and five shared cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table over the course of the hand: the board.

You win chips in one of two ways: everyone else folds before the hand is over, or you hold the best five-card poker hand at the showdown. Your hand is the best five cards you can make from your two hole cards and the five on the board — any combination, including using one of your cards, both, or (rarely) none.

A marker called the dealer button moves one seat clockwise after every hand. The two players to its left post forced bets before any cards are dealt, so there is always something to play for:

• Small blind — the first player to the left of the button, posting half the big blind (at $0.01/$0.02 stakes, $0.01).
• Big blind — the next player, posting the full big blind ($0.02 at those stakes).

The blinds name the stakes of a table. A $0.01/$0.02 table has a $0.01 small blind and a $0.02 big blind.

1. Preflop — everyone receives two hole cards. Action starts with the player to the left of the big blind and moves clockwise.
2. Flop — three community cards are dealt face up. From here on, action starts with the first player still in the hand to the left of the button.
3. Turn — a fourth community card.
4. River — the fifth and last community card, followed by the final round of betting.

If two or more players are left after the river betting, the hands are shown — the showdown — and the best hand takes the pot.

Heads-up (two players) is the one exception: the button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop, then last on every later street.

• Fold — give up your cards and any claim to the pot.
• Check — pass the action on without betting. Only possible when nobody has bet in this round.
• Call — match the current bet.
• Bet — put chips in when nobody has bet yet this round.
• Raise — increase the current bet. Everyone still in must then call the new amount, raise again, or fold.
• All-in — put in every chip you have in front of you.

In No Limit Hold'em you may bet or raise any amount up to everything in front of you, at any time. The smallest bet allowed is the big blind, and a raise must be at least as large as the previous bet or raise in that round. If a player goes all-in for less than the full amount, they can only win the part of the pot they matched; the rest goes into a side pot contested by the others.

Six players sit at a $0.01/$0.02 table. You are on the button with A♠ K♠. Two players fold, the third raises to $0.06, and you call. The blinds fold.

The flop is K♦ 9♠ 4♠: you have top pair with the best possible kicker, and a draw to the nut flush. Your opponent bets $0.08; you raise to $0.24 and they call. The turn is the 2♥. They check, you bet $0.40, they call. The river is the 7♣ — no flush — and both players check. At the showdown your opponent turns over K♥ Q♣: you both have a pair of kings, and your ace kicker beats their queen. You win the pot.

1. Play fewer hands. Most two-card starting hands lose money; strong players fold most of them before the flop.
2. Use your position. Acting after your opponents shows you what they did first — see the guide to positions.
3. Know the hand rankings cold, so you never misread the board.
4. Count your outs before calling a bet on a draw.
5. Only play with money you can afford to lose, and set a limit before you sit down.