How to Play Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is the most popular form of poker in the world. Each player gets two private cards, plays five shared community cards, and the best five-card hand wins. Here's the full ruleset for a beginner — you can read it in five minutes and start playing.

The goal

Win chips by either: (a) being the only player still in the hand when everyone else folds, or (b) having the best five-card poker hand at showdown. You build your hand from any combination of your two private cards (the hole cards) and the five shared community cards.

The setup

• 2–10 players sit at a table.
• One player has the dealer button; it rotates clockwise after every hand.
• The two players left of the dealer post forced bets called the small blind (SB) and big blind (BB). At ChipMonk, blinds are 5/10.

The four betting rounds

1. Pre-flop

Each player is dealt two hole cards face-down. The action starts with the player left of the big blind. On your turn you can:

• Fold — throw your hand away and forfeit any chips already in the pot.
• Call — match the current bet to stay in the hand.
• Raise — increase the bet. Other players must match, raise again, or fold.

Pre-flop, you can't check — there's already a bet (the big blind). The round ends when all remaining players have either matched the highest bet or gone all-in.

2. The flop

Three community cards are dealt face-up in the middle. Action starts with the first remaining player left of the dealer. Now you have a fifth option:

• Check — pass the action without betting (only legal when no one has bet yet on this round).
• Bet — put chips in the pot. Once a bet is made, players must call, raise, or fold.

3. The turn

A fourth community card is dealt. Another betting round, same rules as the flop.

4. The river

The fifth and final community card is dealt. One last betting round.

Showdown

If two or more players are still in after the river, they reveal their hole cards. The best five-card hand wins the pot. Players make their hand using any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards — including using zero hole cards ("playing the board") if the community is stronger than anything they hold.

For the full ranking ladder, see poker hand rankings.

Blinds, antes, and the button

The blinds force action — without them, players could fold every weak hand and play only premium hands for free. After every hand, the dealer button moves one seat clockwise; the small and big blinds move with it. Over time, every player posts blinds equally.

In a tournament, blinds increase on a schedule (every few minutes or every few hands). This forces action as stacks shrink relative to the blinds. ChipMonk's sit-and-go tournament uses a seven-level blind schedule that escalates every 5 hands.

Side pots and going all-in

You can never bet more chips than you have. If you bet your entire stack, you're all-in. You can win any chips that other players have matched against you, but if larger bets continue between other players, those go into a side pot that you can't win. Side pots are settled separately at showdown.

Common beginner mistakes

• Playing too many hands. Most starting hands are losers long-term. Tight is right.
• Calling without a plan. If your hand isn't strong enough to raise but you call anyway, you're hoping to get lucky on later streets.
• Slow-playing big hands. Letting opponents catch up for free with a draw turns a winner into a loser.
• Misreading the board. When four cards to a flush or straight are out, weak made hands are often beaten.
• Bluffing too often. Bluffs work best when the story makes sense and you have few opponents in the hand.

Quick reference

• Best possible hand: Royal Flush (A-K-Q-J-10 of one suit)
• Worst possible winning hand: ace-high (when no one pairs)
• Hands per hour at a 6-player table: ~30
• Number of hands a regular sees per year: 5,000–50,000 depending on volume

Frequently asked questions

Learn by playing

Start a free hand on ChipMonk — three AI opponents at the difficulty you choose, no signup or download. Already comfortable with the rules? See hand rankings or the poker terminology glossary.