Texas Hold’em is one of the most popular versions of poker. The goal is to win chips by either making the best five-card poker hand or getting every other player to fold before the cards are revealed. Each player receives two private cards, called hole cards, that only they can see. Five community cards are dealt face-up in the middle of the table for everyone to use. Players combine their two hole cards with the five community cards to make the best possible five-card hand. You can use both of your hole cards, just one, or neither.

Before each hand begins, two players must make forced bets called the small blind and the big blind. The player immediately to the left of the dealer button usually posts the small blind, and the next player posts the big blind. These bets create an initial pot for players to compete over. The dealer button moves one seat clockwise after every hand, so everyone takes turns paying the blinds. In a typical game, the big blind is twice the small blind, although the amounts depend on the game being played.

Once the blinds are posted, each player receives two cards face-down. The first betting round is called pre-flop. Starting with the player immediately to the left of the big blind, each player decides whether to fold, call, or raise. Folding means giving up your hand and any chance of winning the pot. Calling means matching the current bet, which is usually the big blind at this stage. Raising means increasing the bet so that other players must put in more chips if they want to continue. The action moves clockwise around the table until everyone who remains has contributed the required amount or folded.

After the pre-flop betting round, the dealer places three community cards face-up in the middle of the table. These cards are called the flop. All remaining players can use these three cards alongside their private cards to form a poker hand. A second betting round begins with the first active player to the left of the dealer button. If nobody has bet, you can check, which means staying in the hand without putting in additional chips. You can also bet, fold, or respond to another player's bet by calling or raising. If someone has already bet, you cannot simply check; you must generally call, raise, or fold.

Next comes the turn, when the dealer reveals a fourth community card. Another betting round follows, using the same basic rules as the flop. The fourth card can dramatically change the strength of players' hands, potentially completing a straight, flush, full house, or another strong combination. Players must decide whether their hands are strong enough to continue, whether they want to bet for value, or whether they want to try to make their opponents fold.

After the turn comes the river, when the fifth and final community card is revealed. This is followed by the last betting round. Players now have all the information they will receive from the community cards, so they must make their final decisions about betting, calling, raising, checking, or folding. If everyone except one player folds at any point during the hand, the remaining player wins the pot immediately. They do not have to reveal their cards or prove that they had the strongest hand.

If two or more players remain after the final betting round, the hand goes to the showdown. The remaining players reveal their hole cards, and the best five-card hand wins the pot. The standard hand rankings, from strongest to weakest, are royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, and high card. A royal flush is an ace-high straight flush, while a high-card hand is one that does not contain any of the standard combinations. If players have equally ranked hands, the detailed card ranks determine the winner. If their best five-card hands are identical, they split the pot.

One of the most important rules in Texas Hold’em is that you must make the best five-card hand possible, not necessarily use both of your private cards. For example, if the community cards are an ace, king, queen, jack, and ten, everyone still in the hand has at least an ace-high straight available, regardless of their hole cards. If nobody can make a better hand using their private cards, the pot may be split. The suits do not determine the winner in standard Texas Hold’em, so a spade does not beat a heart simply because of its suit.

There are five main actions you need to understand when betting. Check means passing the action without betting, but only when no bet is currently required. Bet means putting chips into the pot when nobody has bet in the current round. Call means matching an existing bet. Raise means increasing the current bet, forcing other players to pay more to continue. Fold means surrendering your hand and giving up any claim to the pot. You should remember that checking is not the same as folding: checking keeps you in the hand, while folding removes you from it.

Another important concept is the all-in. Going all-in means betting all the chips you have available. If you have fewer chips than another player, you can still compete for the portion of the pot that you can match. Any additional bets from players with more chips may go into a side pot that you cannot win. For example, if you have 50 chips and go all-in against two players who each have 100 chips, you can compete for the main pot made from the amounts you can match, but you cannot win the extra chips that only the other two players contribute to their side pot. Side pots are awarded separately according to the best eligible hands.

Position at the table also matters. The player acting first has less information because they must make a decision before seeing what the other players do. The player acting last has an advantage because they get to see everyone else's actions before deciding what to do. The dealer button is the most favorable position in many situations because that player usually acts last during the post-flop betting rounds. This is why the same starting cards can be worth playing in one position but folding in another.

A standard Texas Hold’em game uses a 52-card deck without jokers. There are usually between two and ten players at a table, although the exact number depends on the game. In a cash game, chips generally represent real money, and players can often buy more chips between hands according to the table rules. In a tournament, players pay an entry fee or buy-in and receive tournament chips. The blinds usually increase over time, and players are eliminated when they lose all their chips. The goal is to survive and accumulate chips, with prizes awarded according to the tournament's payout structure.

Finally, good poker etiquette is important. Wait your turn before acting, avoid revealing your cards while a hand is still in progress, and do not discuss a folded hand in a way that could influence players who are still competing. Make your intentions clear when betting, and follow the house rules regarding minimum raises, verbal declarations, and chip handling. In most games, acting out of turn is discouraged because it can affect the decisions of other players. You should also avoid splashing chips into the pot in a way that makes the amount difficult to determine.

The easiest way to remember the entire game is this: receive two private cards, bet pre-flop, see the flop, bet again, see the turn, bet again, see the river, make your final bet, and reveal your cards if necessary. You win either by getting everyone else to fold or by showing the strongest five-card hand at showdown. Once you understand the hand rankings and the difference between checking, calling, raising, and folding, you know the basic rules needed to sit down and play Texas Hold’em.