Texas Hold'em rules in 5 minutes
Blinds, streets, actions, and showdown—everything you need to sit down without feeling lost.
- evergreen
- rules
- beginners
Texas Hold'em is a community-card game. You get two private cards, share five board cards, and try to make the best five-card hand using any combination of your cards and the board.
The flow
- Blinds force money in before cards are dealt. The player left of the dealer posts the small blind; next player posts the big blind (usually double the small).
- Preflop each player acts: fold, call the big blind, or raise.
- Flop deals three community cards. Another betting round starts with the first active player left of the button.
- Turn adds one card; river adds the last card. There is betting after each if more than one player remains.
- Showdown if needed: best hand wins the pot. You may use both hole cards, one, or neither (playing the board).
Common beginner-friendly rules
- Check only if no bet is facing you; otherwise you must call, raise, or fold.
- Minimum raise sizes depend on house rules; in most games a raise must at least match the previous raise increment.
- Side pots appear when players are all-in for different amounts—each pot is awarded separately.
That is enough to follow a televised table or join a friendly home game. Next, learn hand rankings so you instantly know who wins at showdown.