Texas Hold’em: from the deal to showdown

01The objective of a hand

At a showdown with multiple players, make the strongest five-card hand from the available cards. You can also win when every other player folds. Standard Hold’em uses a 52-card deck without jokers.

02How a hand unfolds

At a multi-player table, the small blind and big blind are usually the first two seats to the left of the button. Each player receives two hole cards before pre-flop action begins.

• Pre-flop: action starts with the first active player to the left of the big blind.
• Flop: reveal three community cards and play the second betting round.
• Turn: add a fourth community card and play the third betting round.
• River: add the fifth community card and play the final betting round.
• Showdown: if multiple players remain, compare their best five-card hands.

03You do not have to use both hole cards

In Hold’em, you may use two, one or zero hole cards. The board itself may be your best five-card hand. Do not include a sixth or seventh card in the final comparison.

For example, if the board makes an Ace-high straight and nobody can make a higher hand category, eligible players split the pot. An extra pair in your hand does not automatically win.

04Action order and common misconceptions

After the flop, action usually starts with the first active player to the left of the button. Heads-up is different: the button posts the small blind, acts first before the flop and last after the flop.

Check whether the table uses no-limit, pot-limit or fixed-limit betting. Betting caps differ, but the principle of comparing five-card hands stays the same.