How to Play Texas Hold'em Poker

Here you can learn how to play Texas Hold'em Poker and the rules of the game before you start to play Texas Hold'em Poker with bet365.

How to Play Texas Hold'em Poker - The Pre-Flop

The first round of Texas Hold'em Poker is known as the Pre-flop. In this round, players place what are known as “blind bets” (as players are betting before they see what cards they have been dealt).

The player sat to the left of the dealer posts the first bet, which is known as the “small blind”. The small blind is a bet of half the minimum bet limit for the game.

The player sat to the left of the person who has posted the small blind bet then posts what is known as the “big blind”. This is a bet which is equal to the minimum bet limit for the game (and is therefore double the amount of the small blind bet).

The dealer then deals each player two face-down cards which are known as “pocket cards” or sometimes “hole cards”.

There is now a full round of betting, starting with the player sat to the left of the person who placed the big blind. In this round, each player can either:

Call – this means that you place the same number of poker chips into the pot as one of the previous players.
Raise – this means that you can put a higher number of poker chips into the pot than the previous player.
Fold – this means that you can leave the game, by throwing in your cards and taking no further part.

How to Play Texas Hold'em Poker - The Flop

The second round in Texas Hold'em Poker is known as “the Flop”. The dealer will deal three cards into the centre of the table. These are known as “community cards” and can be used by all players to make up their hand.

Once the community cards have been dealt, another round of betting begins. In this round, the players can:

Check – this means that if no other bets have been placed in the round, you can choose to stay in the game without placing a bet.
Raise – this means that you can put a higher number of poker chips into the pot than the previous player.
Fold – this means that you can leave the game, by throwing in your cards and taking no further part.

How to Play Texas Hold'em Poker - The Turn

In the third round of Texas Hold'em Poker, the dealer places a fourth community card in the centre of the table. This card is known as “the turn”. Another round of betting then takes place.

How to Play Texas Hold'em Poker - The River

In the fourth round of Texas Hold'em Poker, the dealer places the final community card into the centre of the table. This fifth community card is known as “the River”. Another round of betting then takes place.

How to Play Texas Hold'em Poker - The Showdown

The players now use their two pocket cards and the five community cards to make the strongest five-card hand that they can. For details of the values and rankings of different hands, see our bet365 Poker Hand Guide page.

The player with the strongest hand wins the pot. If more than one player has the same hand, the pot will be split between them equally.

You can also learn more about some of the terms used in Texas Hold'em Poker in our bet365 Texas Hold'em Glossary, and find some useful hints and tips on how to improve your game on our Texas Hold'em Poker Strategy page.

You can play Texas Hold'em Poker with bet365 either as a 1-on-1 poker game, in a multi-player poker game or in a poker tournament. To find out more about these different ways of playing Texas Hold'em Poker, visit our Types of Poker Game with bet365 section.

To start playing Texas Hold'em Poker with bet365 now, go to our Main Site. You can set up an easy-to-use one-wallet bet365 account in just a matter of seconds and play your first online Texas Hold'em Poker game for cash prizes with us.

If you want to learn about the other types of poker we offer, visit our Types of Poker at bet365 page.