Poker 101
What is Texas Hold'em?
The basic flow of a hand: cards, betting rounds, and how someone wins.
The simplest possible explanation
Texas Hold'em is a card game where each player gets 2 private cards (called hole cards) and shares 5 public cards (called the board) with everyone at the table. You make the best 5-card hand using any combination of your 2 + the 5 community cards. The player with the best hand at showdown — or the last one standing after everyone else folds — wins the pot.
The four betting rounds
A hand of Texas Hold'em has exactly four betting rounds, named after the cards revealed:
- •Preflop — you have 2 cards. No community cards yet. First betting round.
- •Flop — 3 community cards revealed. Second betting round.
- •Turn — 4th community card revealed. Third betting round.
- •River — 5th and final community card. Final betting round, then showdown.
How you win
Two ways: (1) make everyone else fold by betting them out of the hand, or (2) reach showdown with the best 5-card hand. You don't need a great hand to win — sometimes the strongest hand is whichever one your opponent is willing to fold to.
Hold'em is just: 2 cards + 5 community cards + 4 betting rounds. Best hand at showdown wins, or the last person not folded wins.
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