Texas Hold'em rules
Hold'em uses one standard 52-card deck. Each player gets two private hole cards, and up to five shared community cards, called the board, are dealt face up in the middle.
- Your hand is the best five-card combination from your two hole cards and the five board cards. You may use both, one or neither of your own cards.
- Before the deal, two players post forced bets: the small blind of 10 chips and the big blind of 20.
- A hand ends when all but one player have folded, or at the showdown, where the remaining players show their cards and the best hand takes the pot. Equal hands split it.
Poker hand rankings
From strongest to weakest. All suits are equal, and an Ace can play high (A K Q J 10) or low (5 4 3 2 A) in a straight.
| Rank | Hand | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A K Q J 10, all one suit |
| 2 | Straight flush | 9 8 7 6 5 of hearts |
| 3 | Four of a kind | Four Queens |
| 4 | Full house | Three 7s and two Kings |
| 5 | Flush | Any five cards of one suit |
| 6 | Straight | 10 9 8 7 6, mixed suits |
| 7 | Three of a kind | Three cards of one rank |
| 8 | Two pair | Jacks and 4s |
| 9 | One pair | Two cards of one rank |
| 10 | High card | None of the above |
When two players hold the same type of hand, the higher cards win. If both have the same pair, the next highest card, the kicker, decides.
The four betting rounds
- Preflop: two hole cards each. Betting starts with the player to the left of the big blind.
- Flop: three community cards, then a second betting round.
- Turn: a fourth community card and a third round.
- River: the fifth card and the final round.
On your turn you can check (pass when nobody has bet), bet or raise, call the current bet, or fold your cards. Going all-in puts in every chip you have; if others keep betting beyond your stack, the extra goes into a side pot that only they can win.
Reading the board, position and pot odds
What the board allows
- Paired board: full houses and four of a kind become possible.
- Three cards of one suit: anyone with two more of that suit has a flush.
- Connected cards like 9 8 7 make straights likely.
- Dry board: scattered cards such as K 7 2 in different suits offer few draws, so a strong pair is often good.
Position
The player on the dealer button acts last after the flop and sees everyone else's choice first. That is why many players play more hands from late position and fewer right after the blinds.
Outs and pot odds
Count your outs, the unseen cards that complete your hand. Four cards to a flush leave 9 outs. Multiply outs by 2 for a rough percent chance on the next card: about 18 percent, close to the exact 9 in 46.
Pot odds compare the call with the pot. With 80 chips in the pot and 20 to call, you risk 20 to win 100, so the call pays off over many hands if you win at least 20 percent of the time. Weighing those two numbers is the core math of Hold'em.
Playing against computer players
Choose Play vs computer for a four-handed table against Alice, Bob and Charlie. It is the same no-limit game as the online tables: blinds of 10 and 20, a dealer button that moves every hand, and side pots for all-ins. Each turn you get Fold, Check or Call, plus a raise slider with Min, 1/2 pot, Pot and All-in presets. Your stack carries from hand to hand, and the game saves your hand in progress if you refresh. Your best chip counts appear on the Texas Hold'em leaderboard.
- Start tight. Play high pairs and two high cards, and fold weak, unconnected hands.
- Count the opponents. A pair that leads against one player is often behind against three.
- Watch the raises. When a computer player raises, it usually has a real hand.
Texas Holdem with friends online
Poker is better with people you know, and the online tables seat up to six:
- Play with a friend: get a private table link and share it with your group. When everyone is in, the host presses Start now.
- Play online: join a public table with whoever is available.
Online tables are full no-limit Hold'em. Every seat starts with 1,000 virtual chips, blinds are 10 and 20, and the dealer button moves one seat after every hand. On your turn you get the same controls as the solo table: Fold, Check or Call, and a raise slider with Min, 1/2 pot, Pot and All-in presets. A full raise reopens the betting, while an all-in for less than a full raise only has to be called, and side pots are worked out for you. Hole cards are shown only to their owner until the showdown, each player has a turn timer, and a player who runs out of chips gets a fresh 1,000 at the next hand.
Hold'em on your phone
Turn your phone sideways and the table spreads out: opponents along the top with their chip counts and last action, the board and pot in the middle, and your two cards with the action buttons at the bottom. The dealer button and each player's bet are marked at every seat. Install NitroPlayer on your home screen to open the table in full screen.
