In Hold’em (also known as Texas Hold’em), players get two down cards and five community cards (which are face-up in the middle of the table). Your hand is determined by using the best five of those seven cards (in any combination) and the best hand wins the pot. Click here to see the Rank of Hands. (The pot may also be won by someone betting and no one calling prior to getting seven cards.)

There are four rounds of betting in Hold’em. In Limit Hold’em, one bet and three raises are allowed for each betting round. To continue the play, players should call all actions to them on each betting round (unless they are “all-in”).

The procedure for Hold’em:

  • Prior to dealing the cards, two blinds (the Small Blind and the Big Blind) are placed in the pot by the two players to the immediate left of the dealer (indicated by the dealer “button”).
  • Everyone is dealt two down cards (“hole cards”). The action begins with the player to the left of the Big Blind folding, calling, or raising and continues in a clockwise fashion. This is the first betting round.
  • The dealer turns over three cards (community cards known as “The Flop”). This is the second betting round. Beginning with this round of betting (and throughout the remainder of the hand), the player to the left of the button acts first.
  • The dealer turns over another card (known as “The Turn” or “Fourth Street”). This is the third round of betting. (In Limit Hold’em, the amount bet doubles on “The Turn”.)
  • The dealer turns over the last card (known as “The River” card or “Fifth Street”). This is the final round of betting.
  • Upon completion of the final round of betting, the best hand wins the pot.

Note: The Blinds are determined by the size of the game.