What are the poker hand rankings in order?

From highest to lowest, the poker hands are: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card. Every hand is exactly five cards, and when two players have the same type of hand, the higher cards win. If those are equal, the next-highest unmatched card (the kicker) decides the winner.

How do blinds work in Texas Hold'em?

Blinds are forced bets posted before the cards are dealt to make sure there is money to play for. The player to the left of the dealer button posts the small blind, and the next player posts the big blind, which is usually double the small blind and equal to the minimum bet. The dealer button rotates one seat clockwise after each hand, so the blinds move around the table. In tournaments the blinds rise over time, while in cash games they stay fixed.

What are the four betting rounds in poker?

Texas Hold'em has four betting rounds, called streets. Pre-flop happens after players receive their two hole cards. The flop is the next round, after three community cards are revealed. The turn follows a fourth community card, and the river follows the fifth and final community card. On each round you can check, bet, raise, call, or fold.

Can you use both of your hole cards in Texas Hold'em?

Yes, but you do not have to. At showdown you make the best five-card hand from any combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards. You can use both hole cards, just one, or even none at all (playing the board). The strongest five-card hand wins the pot.

What happens if two players have the same hand?

If two or more players have identical five-card hands at showdown, the pot is split evenly between them. Any single leftover odd chip is usually given to the player closest to the left of the dealer button. Note that hands with the same pair but different fifth cards are not tied, because the kicker breaks the tie.

Is Texas Hold'em a game of luck or skill?

It is both. Luck decides which cards you are dealt, but skill decides how you play them. Strong players win over time by choosing which hands to play, using position, reading opponents, and betting in ways that maximize wins and minimize losses. Over many hands, skill outweighs short-term luck, which is why the same players consistently do well.

How to Play Poker (Texas Hold'em): Rules, Hands & Betting

Texas Hold'em is the most popular form of poker in the world, and it is far simpler than it looks. Each player gets two private cards, five shared community cards are dealt face up, and you make the best five-card hand you can. This guide covers the full rules: hand rankings, blinds, the four betting rounds and the showdown, so you can sit down and play with confidence.

What is Texas Hold'em?

Texas Hold'em is a community-card poker game played with a standard 52-card deck and anywhere from 2 to 10 players. Every player is dealt two private cards, called hole cards, and over the course of a hand up to five shared community cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. Your job is to combine your hole cards with the community cards to build the strongest possible five-card poker hand.

What makes Hold'em so compelling is that it blends luck with real skill. You can win by having the best hand at the showdown, or by betting in a way that convinces everyone else to fold before the cards are even revealed. That balance of math, reading opponents and nerve is why Hold'em has dominated home games, casinos and online tables for decades.

Poker hand rankings (highest to lowest)

Before anything else, you need to know what beats what. Every poker hand is exactly five cards, and the rankings below are universal across Texas Hold'em and most poker variants:

Royal Flush — A, K, Q, J, 10 all of the same suit. The unbeatable hand.
Straight Flush — five cards in sequence, all the same suit (for example 6-7-8-9-10 of hearts).
Four of a Kind — four cards of the same rank, such as four queens.
Full House — three of a kind plus a pair, like three 10s and two 8s ("tens full of eights").
Flush — any five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.
Straight — five cards in sequence of mixed suits. The Ace can be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (A-2-3-4-5).
Three of a Kind — three cards of the same rank.
Two Pair — two cards of one rank and two of another.
One Pair — two cards of the same rank.
High Card — when you make none of the above, your highest card plays.

When two players have the same type of hand, the higher cards win. If those are equal, the next-highest unmatched card, called the kicker, decides it. For example, A-A-K-Q-J beats A-A-K-Q-9 because the fifth card is higher. If all five cards are identical in rank, the pot is split.

The blinds and the dealer button

Hold'em uses forced bets called blinds to make sure there is always money to play for. A marker called the dealer button sits in front of one player and rotates one seat clockwise after every hand, so the responsibility moves around the table fairly.

The player immediately to the left of the button posts the small blind.
The next player to the left posts the big blind, usually double the small blind and equal to the minimum bet.

These bets are "live," meaning they count toward what those players owe in the first betting round. In tournaments the blinds rise over time to keep the action moving, while in cash games they stay fixed.

The four betting rounds

A hand of Hold'em is played over four betting rounds, often called streets. On your turn you can check (pass the action when no bet is owed), bet or raise, call (match the current bet), or fold (give up your hand).

1. Pre-flop

Each player receives their two hole cards face down. The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind and moves clockwise. Players decide whether to fold, call the big blind, or raise based on their two cards alone.

2. The flop

The dealer reveals the first three community cards together, known as the flop. A second betting round follows, starting with the first active player to the left of the button. Now you can start to see how your hand is developing.

3. The turn

A fourth community card, the turn (also called fourth street), is dealt face up, followed by a third betting round. In No-Limit games the bets often grow larger here as hands take shape.

4. The river

The fifth and final community card, the river, is dealt, followed by the fourth and final betting round. After this, any remaining players go to showdown.

The showdown

If two or more players are still in after the final round of betting, they reveal their cards in a showdown. Each player makes the best five-card hand they can from any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards. You may use both hole cards, just one, or even none (playing "the board"). The best hand wins the pot.

If hands are exactly tied, the pot is split evenly. Any single leftover chip in a split pot normally goes to the player closest to the left of the dealer button. And remember: if everyone else folds before showdown, the last player standing wins the pot without ever showing their cards.

Betting limits explained

How much you can bet depends on the format. No-Limit Hold'em, the version used in most major tournaments, lets you bet any amount up to all your chips ("all-in") at any time. Pot-Limit caps each bet at the current size of the pot, and Fixed-Limit restricts bets and raises to set increments. No-Limit is the most common online and the most exciting to learn on.

Quick beginner tips

Play fewer, stronger hands. Folding weak starting cards is not boring, it is winning poker.
Position matters. Acting later in a round gives you more information, so play more hands when you are closer to the button.
Watch the board. Always check what the best possible hand (the "nuts") could be given the community cards.
Mind your kickers. Two pairs of kings are not tied if one player holds an ace kicker.

If you like poker, try these next

Once you are comfortable with Texas Hold'em, the family of poker and showdown games opens up. Omaha deals you four hole cards instead of two for bigger, wilder hands, while Pineapple Poker is a fun three-card twist on Hold'em. For a fast Indian classic that shares poker's hand rankings, try Teen Patti. You can browse the full lineup of free card games on the Love Card Games homepage.

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