Texas Hold'em

Rules of Texas Hold'em

The Objective

Win chips by making the best five-card poker hand — or by convincing all other players to fold before a showdown. Each player combines their two private cards with the five shared community cards on the table to form the best possible hand.

Players & Setup

Texas Hold'em is typically played with 2–10 players at a table. A dealer button rotates clockwise one seat after each hand to indicate the nominal dealer. In a tournament, a dedicated dealer handles the cards and the button is purely positional.

The Blinds

Before any cards are dealt, the two players immediately to the left of the dealer button post forced bets:

• Small Blind — the player one seat left of the button posts half the minimum bet.
• Big Blind — the player two seats left posts the full minimum bet.

Blinds ensure there is always something to play for. In tournament play, blind levels increase on a fixed schedule — exactly what Poker Clock manages for you.

Hole Cards & Pre-Flop Betting

Each player is dealt two cards face-down (hole cards). A round of betting then begins with the player to the left of the big blind. Each player must choose one of:

• Fold — discard your hand and sit out until the next deal.
• Call — match the current bet (at minimum, the big blind).
• Raise — increase the bet; all remaining players must call or re-raise.

The big blind gets a final option to raise even if no one else has raised ("check the option").

The Flop

Three community cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table. These are shared by all players. A second round of betting follows, starting with the first active player to the left of the button. Players may now check (pass the action) if no bet has been made yet.

The Turn

A fourth community card is dealt face-up. Another betting round follows the same structure as the flop. In limit games the bet size typically doubles at this point, though most home tournaments use no-limit rules.

The River

The fifth and final community card is dealt face-up. The last betting round takes place. Players now have all the information they need to assess their best five-card hand.

The Showdown

If two or more players remain after all betting, there is a showdown. Players reveal their hole cards and the best five-card hand wins the pot. The winning hand can use any combination of the two hole cards and five community cards — including all five community cards if they form the best hand.

In the event of a tie, the pot is split equally between the tied players.

Tournament Play

In a tournament, players start with equal chip stacks and play continues until one player holds all the chips. There is no re-buying (in a standard freeze-out format). Key differences from cash games:

• Blind levels increase on a fixed schedule, forcing action as the tournament progresses.
• Players are eliminated when they run out of chips. With two players remaining, the game is called heads-up.
• Prizes are typically paid to the top 10–15% of the field, with the largest share going to the winner.
• Break rounds give players time to rebuy chips-up, rest, and reorganize before the next level begins.

Poker Hand Rankings

Hands are ranked from best to worst. In a showdown the highest-ranked hand wins. Suits are never used to break ties — if two hands are otherwise equal, the pot is split.