TEXAS HOLDEM POKER RULES

Texas Holdem Poker is the world’s most popular poker game.

If you run across any concept or rules that seems unfamiliar to you, please visit at our Basic Poker Rules page for additional information on how to play poker.

Before the Hand | The Hand | The Play | Order of Play | The Showdown

Before the Hand

A small blind and a big blind must be posted. Click here for more information about Blinds.

The Hand

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Each player in Texas Holdem Poker is dealt two cards face down (“hole cards”). As the hand progresses, five community cards (“board cards”) are dealt face up and shared by all the players. Your strategy is to obtain the best hand using any 5 of the 7 dealt cards

The Play

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1. Each player is dealt two cards face-down (“hole cards”)
2. The first betting round proceeds at the lower betting limit (the amount of the big blind)
3. Dealer turns over three community cards (“the flop”) face-up
4. Second betting round proceeds at the lower betting limit
5. Dealer turns over 1 more community card (“the turn”)
6. Third betting round proceeds at the higher betting limit (twice the amount of the big blind)
7. Dealer turns over the final community card (“the river”)
8. Final betting round proceeds at the higher betting limit
9. Showdown

Order of Play

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Action begins to the left of the big blind and proceeds clockwise. After the first round of betting, action starts to the left of the Dealer Button and proceeds clockwise.

The Showdown

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The highest hand wins the showdown. To form the highest hand, each player may use:

• Both hole cards & three community cards, OR
• One hole card & four community cards, OR
• All five community cards (“playing the board”)

Online Texas Holdem poker rules are the same rules that you will find in brick and mortar cardrooms. Click here for a more indepth look into Texas Hold'em Poker Rules. You may also find more helpful information on how to play poker on our poker hand rankings page