Welcome to the WPT.com guide to Texas Hold’em poker rules! This article gives you everything you need to know to play the world’s most popular poker game.
If you’ve visited a poker room or watched a World Poker Tour broadcast, you’ve seen Texas Hold’em in action. If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to play Texas Hold’em, read on!
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What Is Texas Hold’em?
Texas Hold’em is one of many different poker games. Texas Hold’em (and more specifically No-Limit Hold’em) is the most popular poker game in the world.
Most poker tournaments and cash games at any poker room feature Texas Hold’em. Here’s a brief rundown of how Texas Hold’em works:
- Each player gets dealt two hole cards (private cards only visible to the player).
- The dealer deals five community cards, in rounds known as the flop, turn, and river.
- The object is to make the best possible five-card hand with any combination of hole cards and community cards.
- You win by showing the best hand according to standard poker hand rankings, or by making all other players fold.
While the rules of Texas Hold’em are fairly simple, the game takes a lifetime to master. The next section of this article walks you through an example No-Limit Texas Hold’em hand from beginning to end.
How To Play Texas Hold’em Poker
The following hand examples are played under No-Limit Texas Hold’em rules. The “No-Limit” version of Texas Hold’em allows players to bet as much as they like at any point in the hand, with the only limit being the amount of chips in front of them at the beginning of the hand.
The Blinds and the Button
Sit down at any Texas Hold’em poker game, and you’ll see a disc in front of one particular player labeled “Dealer” or “Button.” This disc, and the player position it describes, is known as the “dealer button” or simply the “button.”
The player to the direct left of the button must post the small blind before the hand starts, and the player to the direct left of the small blind must post the big blind. The blinds are mandatory bets that go into the pot before each hand.
The amounts of the small blind and big blind are dictated by the stakes of the game (in a cash game), or by the level (in a tournament).
If you’re sitting in a $1/$2 cash game on WPT Global, the small blind is always $1, and the big blind is always $2.
In a tournament, the blinds typically start around 100/200, and go up every time the tournament moves up a level.
Each position at the poker table has a name, and it’s important to understand the positions and the names that go along with each.
The poker table positions look like this:
Preflop Betting Round
Once the blinds have posted, the dealer begins dealing each player one card at a time, beginning with the small blind. When all players have two hole cards, the preflop betting round begins.
The player on the direct left of the big blind (known as the “under-the-gun” or UTG player begins the action, and has the choice of whether to call (match the amount of the big blind), raise (increase the amount of the active bet), or fold (surrender their cards and sit out the rest of the hand).
After that, the player to the direct left of UTG gets the same opportunity to either call, raise, or fold. The action moves clockwise around the table until each player gets the chance to act.
Once everyone has acted, if two or more players have put in the amount of the active bet, the hand moves on to the next betting round. If a player raises, and no other player calls, the player that raised wins the pot, and the hand ends.
Preflop Betting Round Hand Example
Suppose you’re playing nine-handed (aka with nine total players) in a $1/$2 cash game, you’re in the cutoff position (one player to the right of the button), and you’re dealt AhKh.
With the blinds at $1/$2, the hand begins with $3 already in the pot. You have $300 in front of you, and by no-limit rules, you can bet that full amount at any time in the hand (but not more than $300).
The UTG player calls for $2. The next three players fold, and the Hijack raises to $10.
You’re next to act in the Cutoff. Your AhKh is a very strong preflop hand, so you raise to $40. The button and both blinds fold, and the action is back on the UTG player.
UTG can either call your $40 (putting $38 more in the pot in addition to the $2 they’ve already called), or fold, surrendering their hand and the $2 they’ve already put in the pot.
In this case, UTG folds, and the action is now on the hijack (HJ). The HJ player can either call your raise (putting $30 more in the pot in addition to the $10 they’ve already bet), or fold.
If they fold, you win a $15 pot (the blinds for $3, the UTG $2 call, and the HJ $10 raise). If they call, you and the HJ player advance to the next betting round, with $85 in the pot.
The Flop
The flop is the second betting round, and the first of three betting rounds that include community cards. Community cards can be used by all players still in the hand, in any combination with a player’s hole cards.
If the hand moves past the preflop round, the dealer puts three community cards on the board. Those three cards are known as the flop.
In all postflop betting rounds, the action begins with the small blind, or the next still-active player to the left of the small blind.
The button, if they’re still in the hand, is always last to act in all postflop betting rounds. Because of this positional advantage, the button is the most profitable position at the table.
Flop Betting Round Hand Example
Going back to the example hand, you’re in the cutoff going heads-up to the flop against the player in the hijack. The hijack is the closest active player to the left of the small blind, and is first to act in this betting round.
The dealer puts out the flop:
A♠K♣2♣
You’ve hit two pair on this flop, and things are looking great. The hijack can either check (putting no more money in the pot for now and passing the action to you), or bet. The HJ checks.
You bet $30 into the $85 pot. Your opponent can either call, raise, or fold.
The hijack player calls, and the pot is $145 going to the next betting round, known as the turn.
The Turn
If two or more players remain in the hand after the flop betting round, the hand advances to the turn.
The turn (aka fourth street) is the fourth community card of a total possible five community cards that can hit the board.
After the dealer deals the turn, another postflop betting round commences. All postflop rounds are played under the same betting rules.
Turn Betting Round Hand Example
Going back to the hand example, you and your opponent proceed to the turn with $145 in the pot.
The dealer puts the turn card on the board, which now looks like this:
A♠K♣2♣3♥
The HJ player once again acts first, and decides to check. You have $230 left in your stack. You decide to bet $50.
Your opponent thinks it over for awhile and decides to call. If they fold here, you win the $145 already in the pot. Because they called, the pot now goes up to $245, and the hand advances to the final betting round, known as the river.
The River
The river (aka fifth street) is the fifth and final community card. After the dealer puts the river on the board, a final betting round takes place.
After the betting is complete in this round, all players still active in the hand show their hole cards. This part of the hand is known as the “showdown.”
The player that makes the best five-card poker hand, using any combination of hole cards and community cards wins.
River Betting Round Hand Example
The example hand has proceeded to the river, with $245 in the pot. You have $180 left in your stack, and so does your opponent.
The dealer puts the river on the board, which now looks like this:
A♠K♣2♣3♥Q♠
Your opponent in the HJ checks again. You decide to bet all of your remaining chips, going “all-in” for your last $180.
Your opponent calls, and shows AdQd. They have two pair aces and queens, but you have a superior two pair with aces and kings.
You win the $605 pot!
This hand ends, and the dealer shifts the button one player to the left. The next hand then begins.
Note: if two players showdown the same hand (aka they both have AK in the hand example above), each players wins one-half of the pot. These pots are known as “chopped” or “split” pots.
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Betting Structure For Texas Hold’em
The preceding hand example is played under no-limit betting rules. Most Texas Hold’em poker games are played as no-limt games, but you can also play Texas Hold’em with other betting structures.
Those other betting structures include:
Pot-Limit – In a pot-limit game, the maximum bet allowed at any given time is equal to the size of the pot.
Fixed-Limit – In Fixed Limit (or just “Limit” Hold’em), the maximum allowed bet for each round is determined by preset limits.
Texas Hold’em Hand Rankings
Texas Hold’em uses the standard 52-card deck and traditional poker hand rankings to determine which player wins when a hand goes to showdown
Here’s a brief rundown of the poker hand rankings, from strongest to weakest:
Royal Flush
A royal flush consists of A-K-Q-J-T of all the same suit. A♥K♥Q♥J♥T♥ is an example of a royal flush.
Straight Flush
A straight flush is five sequential cards that are all the same suit. In other words, a straight flush is both a flush and a straight at the same time.
J♦T♦9♦8♦7♦ is an example of a straight flush.
Four of a Kind
A four-of-a-kind hand is made of four cards of the same rank. Examples of four-of-a-kind include four aces, four kings, four nines, four fours, etc,
Full House
A full house consists of three of a kind and a pair in the same five-card hand. Examples of a full house could include K♥K♣K♦5♠5♣, T♣T♦T♥6♠6♣, and 8♥8♣8♦2♠2♣.
Flush
Five cards of all the same suit make a flush in poker.
Examples of flushes could include A♣Q♣7♣3♣2♣, K♥T♥7♥6♥3♥, and T♦7♦5♦4♦2♦.
Straight
A straight is made of five sequential cards. The five cards in the straight don’t have to be of the same suit.
Examples of a straight could include Q♣J♦T♣9♥8♠, T♣9♦8♣7♥6♠, and 5♣4♦3♣2♥A♠.
Three-of-a-Kind
A three-of-a-kind hand consists of three of the same-ranking card. Examples of three of a kind could include Q♠Q♦Q♣5♦4♣, T♠T♦T♣A♦7♣ and 5♠5♦5♣J♦K♣.
Two Pair
Much like the name suggests, a two-pair hand is made when you hold two distinct pairs in the same five-card hand.
Examples of two-pair hands could include A♣A♦7♣7♠2♥, J♣J♦5♣5♠3♥ and 9♣9♦7♣7♠5♥.
One Pair
A one-pair hand (or just a “pair”) is made when you have two cards of the same ranking in your five-card hand.
A pair is the lowest-ranking made hand you can have in poker. In a battle of two or more one-pair hands, the highest pair wins.
High Card
When you don’t make a pair or better with your five cards, you’re hand is known as a high-card hand.
A hand like A♠K♦9♦7♥2♥ is known as “ace-high,” a hand like K♦9♦7♥5♠2♥ is known as “king-high,” and so on.
When two high-card hands face off, the hand with the highest-ranking high card wins.
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Cash Games Vs. Tournaments
When you play Texas Hold’em, you play one of two formats; cash games or tournaments.
Here’s a brief explanation of the differences between those two formats:
Texas Hold’em Cash Games
In a cash game, the blinds stay at a fixed amount, and your chips are equivalent to cash.
For instance, if you’re in a $1/$2 cash game with a max $300 buy-in, the small blind is always $1, and the big blind is always $2.
The maximum amount of chips you can put in front of you when you sit down at the table is $300, and $300 in chips is equivalent to $300 cash.
Texas Hold’em Tournaments
In a Texas Hold’em tournament, you buy in for a set amount, and sit down with the same amount of chips as everyone else that buys in.
Your chips have no cash value in a tournament. The object of a poker tournament is to be the last player remaining, with all other players losing all of their chips.
For example, the WPT Prime Championship Las Vegas (held each winter at Wynn Las Vegas) has an $1,100 buy-in, and you start with 40,000 chips. If you get down to zero chips, you’re eliminated.
If last long enough in the tournament, you win part of the prize pool. For example, the most recent WPT Prime Championship saw 10,512 players enter, and the final 1,309 players remaining won part of the prize pool.
Tournament winner Calvin Anderson won $1,386,280, not bad for an $1,100 buy-in!
Texas Hold’em Rules FAQ
How do you play Texas Hold’em for beginners?
Texas Hold’em, as World Poker Tour legend Mike Sexton once said, takes “only minutes to learn and a lifetime to master.”
As a beginner, be sure to study the rules of the game, stick to strong starting hands, and play a simple but solid strategy.
ClubWPT is a great place to learn how to play Texas Hold’em, and you might even qualify for a live WPT event.
How many cards do you start with Texas Hold’em?
All players start with two hole cards in Texas Hold’em. This differs from Omaha, where you start with four hole cards.
What hands should you not play in Texas Hold’em?
A good Texas Hold’em strategy actually involves lots and lots of folding preflop. If you want to win, stay away from weak hands like disconnected offsuit hands (like 7-2 offsuit, J-3 offsuit), weak Ace-high hands (like A-2 offsuit), and disconnected suited hands (like J-4 suited, 9-2 suited).
Keep in mind, however, that preflop play is very dependent on table position, opponent tendencies, and many other factors.
Where can I play Texas Hold’em online?
If you’re in the United States, ClubWPT is a great place to learn Texas Hold’em and play for cash and prizes.
If you’re outside the U.S., WPT Global is the best all-around online poker site in the world. Click here for more on where WPT Global is available.
How many players can play Texas Hold’em?
In general, a Texas Hold’em game with nine players is considered a full (or full ring) game. You’ll sometimes see 10 players at a table, however, particularly in big live tournaments that draw thousands of players.
You can also play Texas Hold’em with as few as two players.
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