Card Games
How to Play Texas Hold'em
Community card poker over four betting rounds, played against other players rather than against the house.
Texas Hold'em is the poker variant that uses five community cards in the middle of the table and two private cards for each player. The best hand is the strongest five-card combination among the seven cards available. Unlike other table games, a Hold'em player competes against the other players, while the casino earns its income from a deduction taken from the pot, known as the rake.
Because player decisions determine the outcome, Texas Hold'em is the casino game most dependent on skill. This guide covers hand rankings, the four betting rounds, the effect of table position, how the rake is charged, and the Ultimate Texas Hold'em variant played against the house.
Poker Hand Rankings
Every poker variant uses the same ranking of hands. The probabilities below are calculated for seven cards, which is the situation in Texas Hold'em once all the community cards are out.
| Hand | Composition | Chance of making it |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 10, J, Q, K, A of one suit | 0.0032% |
| Straight flush | Five consecutive cards of one suit | 0.0279% |
| Four of a kind | Four cards of equal rank | 0.168% |
| Full house | Three of a kind plus a pair | 2.60% |
| Flush | Five cards of one suit | 3.03% |
| Straight | Five consecutive cards | 4.62% |
| Three of a kind | Three cards of equal rank | 4.83% |
| Two pair | Two separate pairs | 23.5% |
| One pair | A single pair | 43.8% |
| High card | No combination at all | 17.4% |
Hands are compared in that order. Where two players hold the same type of hand, the winner is decided by the rank of the cards forming it and then by the highest remaining card, known as the kicker.
Blinds, Position and Turn Order
Cash-game Texas Hold'em uses no ante but two forced bets known as blinds. The dealer button moves one seat every hand so that the obligation rotates.
- Small blind. The player to the left of the button posts half the minimum bet.
- Big blind. The next player posts the full minimum bet.
- Early position. The seats that act first hold the least information and are therefore the least favourable.
- Late position. The seat acting last knows the decisions of every other player before choosing.
In each betting round a player may check when no bet is outstanding, bet to open, call to match, raise to increase, or fold to give up the hand.
The Four Betting Rounds
A hand of Texas Hold'em passes through four betting rounds, separated by the exposure of the community cards.
| Round | Community cards exposed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-flop | None yet | Betting is based on the two hole cards alone |
| Flop | Three cards | The round in which hand values change most |
| Turn | One more card | Bet sizes generally increase |
| River | The final card | All seven cards are now available |
Once the river round is complete, the players still in the hand reveal their cards at the showdown. The pot goes to the highest hand, and is split where hands are of equal value.
How a Round of Texas Hold'em Is Played
A single round of Texas Hold'em follows the sequence below. The same sequence applies at a physical table and at a live dealer table streamed to a screen.
- Register and take a seatAsk the poker room staff for a seat, then buy chips at the table. A starting stack is usually one hundred times the minimum bet.
- The blinds are postedThe two players to the left of the dealer button post the small and big blinds before any cards are dealt.
- Two hole cards are dealtEach player receives two private cards. They are seen only by that player and stay on the table.
- The pre-flop betting roundBetting begins with the player to the left of the big blind. Each player calls, raises or folds.
- The flop is dealtThe dealer exposes three community cards, after which the second betting round runs from the player to the left of the button.
- The turn is dealtA fourth community card is exposed and the third betting round follows.
- The river is dealtThe fifth and final community card is exposed and the last betting round follows.
- Showdown and the award of the potThe remaining players reveal their cards. The best five-card hand wins, and the dealer takes the rake before pushing the pot across.
The Rake: How the Casino Earns From Poker
In a game played between players, the casino carries no risk on the outcome of a hand. Its income comes from the rake, a deduction taken from the pot by the dealer, or from a seat charge per hour at higher-stakes tables.
| Form | Typical level | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Capped rake | 5% of the pot, capped at three to five times the minimum bet | The most common form at low-stakes tables |
| Uncapped rake | 2.5% to 10% of the pot | Used by some online rooms |
| Seat charge | A fee per half hour or per hour | Used at higher-stakes tables |
| Tournament fee | 5% to 15% of the entry | Charged separately from the prize pool |
The rake works like the house edge in other games: it reduces the return to all players combined. At low-stakes tables with a capped rake, the deduction can reach five percent of all the money that changes hands at the table.
Ultimate Texas Hold'em: The Banked Version
Ultimate Texas Hold'em uses the same card structure, but the player competes against the dealer's hand rather than against other players. Many gaming floors offer it because the rules make for a shorter game.
- The player posts an ante and a blind of equal size before the cards are dealt.
- After seeing two cards, the player may make a play bet of three or four times the ante.
- Waiting until the flop reduces the play bet to twice the ante; waiting until the river reduces it to one times the ante.
- The dealer needs a pair or better for the ante to be paid, and the blind pays according to a table when the player wins with a straight or better.
The house edge of this version is 2.19% of the ante when played with correct strategy. Because the average total wager comes to about 4.15 times the ante, the edge measured against all money staked — the element of risk — falls to roughly 0.53%.
The Costliest Mistakes for New Players
Skill in Texas Hold'em consists largely of avoiding errors rather than finding brilliant plays.
- Playing too many starting hands. Disciplined players continue with around twenty percent of hands from early position.
- Ignoring position. The same hand is worth a different amount from the first seat than from the last.
- Chasing cards without weighing the size of the pot. Continuing is only justified when the chance of completing a hand is worth the cost of the call.
- Bringing an entire bankroll to one table. The money on a table should be a small share of the funds set aside for the game.
- Playing on while tired. Decision quality falls faster than a player notices.
Errors that apply across every game are covered on the beginner mistakes page.
Texas Hold'em Terminology
The terms below are the ones heard most often at the Texas Hold'em table. A wider list is available in the casino glossary.
- Blind
- A forced bet posted by the two players to the left of the dealer button before the cards are dealt.
- Flop
- The first three community cards, exposed together.
- Turn
- The fourth community card.
- River
- The fifth and final community card.
- Rake
- The deduction taken from the pot by the casino in return for running the game.
- Kicker
- The side card that decides the winner when two players hold the same type of hand.
- Showdown
- The reveal of cards after the final betting round.
- Pot
- The pool of all bets made during one hand.
Texas Hold'em FAQ
Is Texas Hold'em played against the casino?
Not in a cash game in a poker room. Players compete against each other while the casino earns from the rake. Ultimate Texas Hold'em is the exception, as that version is played against the dealer's hand.
How much money should be brought to a poker table?
A table stack is usually one hundred times the minimum bet, while the overall bankroll should be twenty to forty times a stack so that normal swings do not end a session.
How much does table position matter?
The player who acts last knows what everyone else has done. That informational advantage makes the same hand more profitable from late position than from early position.
Does the rake affect long-run results?
Yes. It is taken from every contested pot, so the total returned to players is always less than the total they stake. At low-stakes tables it is the largest cost a player carries.
What is the house edge in Ultimate Texas Hold'em?
It is 2.19% of the ante with correct strategy. Because the average total wager is about 4.15 times the ante, the edge against all money staked is roughly 0.53%.
Should beginners start at the lowest stakes?
Yes. The lowest stakes carry the smallest cost per mistake, even though the rake takes the largest proportion of the pot there. The consideration is the cost of learning rather than efficiency.