The game of No-Limit Texas Hold'em Poker uses a standard 52-card deck.
Each player receives two face-down hole cards, and the five community cards make up the board in three stages, known as the Flop (3), Turn (1) and River (1).
Players use their hole cards alongside the board to make the best possible five-card hand, based on the hand rankings:
Royal Flush — Five cards of the same suit, ranked ace-ten - A♥K♥Q♥J♥10♥
Straight Flush — Five cards of the same suit and consecutively ranked; e.g., 9♣8♣7♣6♣5♣
Four of a Kind — Four cards of the same rank; e.g., A♣A♥A♦A♠K♦
Full House — Three cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g., A♣A♥A♠K♦K♥
Flush — Any five cards of the same suit; e.g., A♠J♠8♠5♠2♠
Straight — Any five cards consecutively ranked; e.g., Q♣J♦10♥9♠8♦
Three of a Kind — Three cards of the same rank; e.g., A♣A♠A♦K♣Q♥
Two Pair — Two cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g., A♠A♣K♦K♣9♠
One Pair — Two cards of the same rank; e.g., A♥A♣10♥5♦2♦
High Card — Five unmatched cards; e.g., A♣J♦10♠6♣3♥ would be called "ace-high."
CARDS
Ace is the highest card, and 2 is the lowest.
RULES
PREFLOP
One player is assigned as the Dealer (also known as the button), and this position moves clockwise every round.
The player on the immediate left of the Dealer posts a Small Blind bet.
The player on the immediate left of the Small Blind posts the Big Blind bet (BB is double the SB amount).
For example, Small Blind is 100, and Big Blind is 200.
In tournament poker, the blind bets increase at every level. In cash poker, the blinds remain the same throughout the game.
The player to the immediate left of the Big Blind, known as Under The Gun (UTG), is the first player to act once every player has received their two face-down hole cards. The UTG player has the option to:
Bet/Call – place a bet equivalent to the BB amount.
Raise – Place a bet equal to or greater than 2x the BB amount. For example, when the BB is 100, the minimum raise is 200.
Fold – pass cards to the Dealer and is no longer active in the hand.
Once a bet is made, the minimum the next player can raise is the size of the last bet. For example, if the BB is 100, and your opponent raises to 200, the minimum raise amount is 200, making a total bet of 400.
The action continues clockwise until the player in the BB has the final preflop decision to call, raise, fold or check. The BB player may only opt to check if there were no raises.
POSTFLOP
Flop - The first 3 community cards are dealt face-up after the first betting round (Preflop) is complete.
The first active player to the left of the Dealer acts first, with the option to check (pass the action onto the next player) or bet. The minimum bet is the BB amount.
Turn – the fourth face-up community card is dealt after the flop betting round.
River – the fifth and final face-up community card is dealt. The remaining players showdown their cards if necessary, with the best five-card poker hand winning the pot.
During any betting round, if the betting causes all but one player to fold, the lone remaining player wins the pot without the need to show their cards.
HAND EXAMPLES
Hand 1: Blinds 100/200 – No Ante
Small Blind posts 100. Big Blind posts 200.
Cards are dealt. UTG player acts first and raises to 600. 4 players fold. Button player calls for 600—Small Blind player folds. Big Blind player places an extra 400 to call for 600 in total.
The 3 community cards known as the Flop are dealt.
Big Blind player acts first and checks. UTG player bets 1000. Button player calls for 1000. Big Blind player folds.
The fourth community card, known as the Turn, is dealt.
UTG player acts first and bets 2000. Button player folds and UTG player wins the pot without the need for a showdown.
Hand 2: Blinds 100/200 – No Ante
Small Blind posts 100. Big Blind posts 200.
Cards are dealt. UTG player raises to 600. 4 players fold. Button player calls for 600—Small Blind player folds. Big Blind player places an extra 400 to call for 600 total.
The three community cards known as the Flop are dealt.
Big Blind player acts first and checks. UTG player bets 1000. Button player calls for 1000. Big Blind player folds.
The fourth community card, known as the Turn, is dealt.
UTG player acts first and bets 2000. Button player calls for 2000.
The fifth community card, known as the River, is dealt.
UTG player acts first and bets 3000. Button player calls for 3000.
As the betting aggressor, the UTG player must show their hand first to reveal their best five-card holding. If the Button player has a stronger holding, they must show their cards to win the pot. If the Button player has a weaker holding, they may pass their face-down hole cards to the Dealer to muck, and the UTG player wins the pot.
The pot will be chopped if players have an identical five-card ranking hand at showdown.
Hand 3: Blinds 100/200 – No Ante
Small Blind posts 100. Big Blind posts 200.
Cards are dealt. UTG player raises to 600. 4 players fold. Button player calls for 600.
Small Blind player folds. Big Blind player places an extra 400 to call for 600 total.
The 3 community cards known as the Flop are dealt.
Big Blind player acts first and checks. UTG player bets 1000. Button player calls for 1000. Big Blind player folds.
The fourth community card, known as the Turn, is dealt.
UTG player acts first and bets 2000. Button player raises to 6000. UTG player calls the raise for 6000 in total.
The fifth community card, known as the River, is dealt.
UTG player acts first and checks. Button player bets for 10,000. UTG player calls.
As the betting aggressor, the Button player must show their hand first to reveal their best five-card holding. If the UTG player has a stronger holding, they must show their cards to win the pot. If the UTG player has a weaker holding, they may pass their face-down hole cards to the Dealer to muck, and the Button player wins the pot.
The pot will be chopped if players have an identical five-card ranking hand at showdown.
LEARN TOP TIPS FOR POKER BEGINNERS HERE
POT EXPLANATION
Pot: All chips bet by players, including blinds and antes.
Main Pot: When a player goes all in and is called, the total chips bet by the all-in player and the calling players form the main pot.
Side Pot: After the main pot is formed, any chips bet by the other players as the hand continues create the side pot. The winnings from the main pot and the side pot(s) will be settled separately when a hand ends.
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