Texas Hold’em rules for beginners: a complete hand

Start with play chips

This is a made-up six-player hand using play chips. In Texas Hold’em, each player receives two private cards. Up to five community cards are dealt, and your hand uses the best five cards available — with two, one or neither of your private cards. A hand can have up to four betting rounds: pre-flop, flop, turn and river. It can end earlier if everyone but one player folds.

The dealer button marks the order of play. With three or more players, the next two seats post the small and big blinds. Our blinds are 1 and 2 chips, so the pot starts at 3. Before the flop, action starts to the left of the big blind. After the flop, it starts with the first remaining player to the left of the button. With only two players at the table, the button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop, last afterwards.

The four possible betting rounds

• Pre-flop: the blinds are posted, each player receives two private cards, and the first betting round begins.
• Flop: three community cards are dealt, followed by another betting round.
• Turn: a fourth community card is dealt, followed by another betting round.
• River: the fifth community card is dealt, followed by the final betting round. If more than one player remains, the hand goes to showdown.

What the actions mean

• Check: pass the action without betting when there is no outstanding bet to call.
• Bet: put in the first wager of a betting round.
• Call: add enough chips to match the current bet. If you have fewer chips than needed, you can call all-in for your remaining stack.
• Raise: match the current bet and increase it. The permitted amount depends on the betting structure and previous action.
• Fold: give up the hand and any claim to its pot.

Calling all-in for less keeps your hand in play, but you can only win the part of the pot your contribution covers. Further matched bets between other players form a separate side pot.

Before the flop: what does “raise to 6” cost?

You hold A♠ K♠ on the button. Everyone before you folds. You raise to 6 chips; the small blind folds; the big blind calls by adding 4 to the 2 already posted. The pot is now 13: your 6, their 6 and the folded small blind’s 1. “Raise to 6” is a total of 6, not 6 extra.

Flop: K♦ 7♣ 2♥

You have a pair of kings. The big blind checks. You bet 8 and they call 8. The pot grows from 13 to 29 chips. Because no bet was outstanding when the big blind checked, checking kept the hand live without adding chips.

Turn and river: finish the hand

The turn is 4♠. Both players check. The river is K♣ and both check again. No further chips have entered the pot. If everyone but one player had folded, the hand would have ended earlier. If all remaining players were all-in, the outstanding board cards would be dealt without further betting between them.

At showdown you reveal A♠ K♠; your opponent reveals K♥ Q♥. Your best five are K♠ K♦ K♣ A♠ 7♣. Theirs are K♥ K♦ K♣ Q♥ 7♣. Both have three kings, but your ace beats their queen as the first differing side card. You win the 29 play chips. This example has no rake.

Explain it before moving on

Name the five cards that count in each player’s hand and explain why the ace decides this showdown. Then rebuild the board with cards and repeat the explanation without looking at the answer. Winning this made-up hand says nothing about the profitability of real-money play.