How to play Texas Hold’em poker
Texas Hold’em is a community-card poker game. Each player receives two private cards, and up to five shared cards appear in the middle of the table. Your goal is to win the pot: either everyone else folds, or you hold the best five-card hand at showdown.
The table, blinds and your starting stack
The dealer button marks a position that moves around the table after each hand. Two players post forced bets called the small blind and big blind. These start the pot before anyone sees the shared cards. At an Appeak table, all bets use virtual chips with no cash value.
A table’s stakes describe its blinds. At a 500/1,000 table, the small blind is 500 chips and the big blind is 1,000 chips. Your buy-in is the stack you bring to the table; it is separate from the chips left in your account balance.
The four betting rounds
- Preflop. Everyone receives two private cards. At a table with three or more players, action begins with the player to the left of the big blind. Players fold, call the big blind or raise.
- Flop. Three community cards are dealt face up. Another betting round begins with the first active player to the left of the dealer button.
- Turn. A fourth community card is dealt, followed by another betting round.
- River. The fifth and final community card is dealt. After the final betting round, remaining players compare their hands.
With only two players, the player on the button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop. The other player acts first after the flop.
What fold, check, call, bet and raise mean
- Fold
- Give up your cards and your chance to win the current pot. Chips already committed stay in the pot.
- Check
- Pass the action without betting. You can check only when you have no outstanding bet to match.
- Call
- Match the current bet. If you have fewer chips than the amount to call, you can commit your remaining stack all-in.
- Bet
- Put chips into the pot when no one has bet during the current betting round.
- Raise
- Increase the current bet. Other players must respond to the higher amount to remain in the hand.
A complete hand example
You hold A♠ K♠. The flop is Q♠ J♠ 2♦: you do not yet have a flush or a straight. The turn is 10♠, giving you a royal flush. The river is 4♥. If the hand reaches showdown, your best five cards are A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠.
You can use both, one or none of your private cards. For example, if the board itself makes the best possible hand for every remaining player, the pot is split. Learn what beats what in our poker hand rankings guide.
All-ins and the end of a hand
If everyone except one player folds, the remaining player wins without a showdown. When several players remain after river betting, the best five-card hand wins. Equal hands share the pot; suits do not break ties.
An all-in player can win only the chips they are eligible to contest. If opponents with larger stacks keep betting, those extra chips form a side pot. A player who folded cannot win either pot.
Practise the sequence
Begin by watching how the action moves and reading the board after each street. There is no need to play every hand. Our beginner’s guide covers position, starting hands and choosing a manageable table.