This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see our disclosures here.
Official Texas Hold'em Rules and Strategy
Texas Hold'em is one of the most popular variations of poker, played in casinos, homes, and online platforms worldwide. Here are the basic rules:
Objective
1. Before and after each card(s) is revealed, players take turns to bet. To stay in the hand and see the next card, all players must have put the same amount of chips in the pot as each other.
2. The best poker hand wins the pot
3. The objective of winning players is not to win every individual hand, but rather to win over the longer term by making mathematically and psychologically better decisions regarding when and how much to bet, raise, call or fold. Winning poker players work to enhance their opponents' betting and maximize their own expected gain on each round of betting, to thereby increase their long-term winnings.
Setup
1. Use dealer chips or some marker to designate the dealer. The dealer position rotates clockwise after each hand.
2. Blinds (forced bets): Before any cards are dealt, the two players to the left of the dealer post mandatory small and big blind bets. The small blind is typically half the minimum bet amount, and the big blind is the minimum bet amount.
Gameplay
A hand of Texas Hold'em is played in a series of betting rounds and card reveals:
Hole Cards: Each player is dealt two cards face down, known as hole cards.
Pre-Flop Betting: Starting from the player to the left of the big blind, each player has the option to:
Fold: Discard their cards and forfeit the hand.
Call: Match the current highest bet amount.
Raise: Increase the bet amount.
1. The Flop: After the pre-flop betting round, three cards are dealt face up in the center of the table, community cards. These are known as the flop.
Flop Betting: Another round of betting occurs, starting from the player left of the big blind who is still in the hand. Players can again fold, call, or raise based on their hand and the community cards.
2. The Turn: One more card is dealt face up in the center of the table, adding to the community cards. This fourth card is called the turn.
Turn Betting: Another round of betting follows the turn.
3. The River: The final card is dealt face up in the center, completing the community cards. This fifth card is called the river.
River Betting: The final round of betting takes place.
4. Showdown (Optional): If more than one player remains after the final betting round, a showdown occurs. Players reveal their hole cards, and the player with the best five-card poker hand using any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards wins the pot.
Winning the Game
The player with the highest-ranking five-card poker hand wins the pot. If multiple players have the same hand ranking, the pot is split amongst them.
A player can also win the pot before the showdown if all other players fold during the betting rounds.
Poker Hand Ranking + Variations
The ranking of poker hands in Texas Hold'em is the same as standard poker: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card.
Pot Limit, No Limit, and Fixed Limit Hold'em are common variations that differ in how much a player can bet or raise during each betting round. Pot Limit allows bets up to the size of the current pot, No Limit allows any bet amount, and Fixed Limit has pre-determined betting amounts.
Texas Hold'em is a game that involves strategy, psychology, and a bit of luck. Understanding hand rankings, pot odds, and betting strategies can improve your gameplay.
These are the basic rules of Texas Hold'em. The game can vary slightly depending on factors like the betting structure (e.g., limit, no-limit, or pot-limit) and specific house rules. But this should give you a good starting point to understand and play Texas Hold'em.
