Rules of Hold 'Em

Texas Hold'em is a community-card game, in which players make their best five-card hand from any combination of their own two private cards, and five shared community cards.

Order of play

1. Each player is dealt two hole cards, face-down. (Your hole cards will appear face-up on your screen, but no one else can see them. We promise.)

2. There is a round of betting, started by the two blind-bets.

3. Three cards, the flop, are dealt face-up to the center of the table. These are community cards that all players use in making their hands.

4. There is a round of betting.

5. A fourth community card, the turn, is dealt face-up to the center of the table.

6. There is a round of betting.

7. A fifth community card, the river, is dealt face-up to the center of the table.

8. There is a final round of betting.

The best five-card hand wins the pot. A five-card hand may be composed of two hole and three community cards, one hole and four community cards, or the five community cards themselves. (A tip: Try not to base your plan for world poker domination on this last option.) If multiple players show the identical best hand, the pot is split evenly between those players.

Hold'em is offered in Fixed Limit, Pot Limit and No Limit structures. In Fixed Limit Hold'em, the first two betting rounds (pre-flop and on the flop) are at the lower limit; the last two rounds are at the higher limit.