How to Play Texas Hold ’em for Beginners

Poker is a game of skill, albeit with some luck thrown in. The most popular form of poker is Texas Hold ‘em and should probably be the game that any poker beginner starts with. Whether you’re sitting down for a game with friends or looking to hit the casino, understanding Texas Hold ’em is an essential skill.

What Is Texas Hold ’em?

Texas Hold ’em is a type of poker. In Texas Hold ’em, each player is dealt two private “hole” cards and combines them with five shared community cards to make the best possible hand. Two to 10 people play in a series of betting rounds. The player with the best hand after the last showdown is the winner.

Texas Hold ’em Hand Rankings

No matter what type of poker you’re playing, the hand rankings stay consistent. A poker hand refers to the cards you’re dealt and the cards on the table. Not knowing the value of a hand is a major blind spot for many poker beginners. If you don’t know how strong or weak your hand is, you’ll likely make poor betting decisions. 

The first step to playing with intelligence is to know the value of your cards and how they stack up versus other possible hands. Below, you’ll find every possible hand, ranked from lowest in value to highest:

1. High card: At the end of a round, players may reveal that they don’t have any of the combinations of cards listed below. In this situation, the person with the highest valued card wins. An example of high card winning would be if a player revealed that they had an ace in their hand, while their opponent only had a king. The ace would beat the king, as it’s of higher value.
2. One pair: This hand results from a player having two cards with the same ranking, such as a three of hearts and a three of diamonds.
3. Two pair: A two pair is the same as a one pair, but double. In this hand, you’ll have two cards of the same rank, with two other cards of equal rank. An example of a two pair would be a hand that features two jacks and two eights.
4. Three of a kind: In this hand, you have three cards of the same rank. The other cards in your hand are of different rank than each other. 
5. Straight: A straight is a simple hand. In it, you have five cards in sequential order. One version of a straight would be a hand that contains seven, eight, nine, 10 and a jack. A standard straight will have at least two different suits represented in the hand.
6. Flush: With a flush in your hand, you have five cards of the same suit. They will not be in any particular order.
7. Full house: A full house is a hand where you have a set of three cards of the same rank, along with another set of two cards of the same rank. You can think of it as a combination of a three of a kind and a two pair, so three kings and two sixes would be a full house.
8. Four of a kind: A simple yet rare hand, the four of a kind is a hand that has four cards of the same rank.
9. Straight flush: In this hand, you have five cards of the same suit that are also in sequential order. An example of a straight flush would be a three, four, five, six and seven of hearts.
10. Royal flush: This is the highest-ranking, rarest hand. It’s a straight with a 10, jack, queen, king and ace of the same suit.

Most hands you’ll win with are actually a pair, two pair or three of a kind. While they’re not the most powerful hands, they’re more common than rare hands like full houses.

It’s also important to realize that the higher the cards rank, the less likely it is to receive the hand. During any poker game, there’s a higher probability that you’ll see more one pairs than you do royal flushes, for example. With this in mind, you can better predict how probable it is for other players to have a higher value hand than yours. 

Texas Hold ’em Terminology

Any beginner Texas Hold ’em guide should include the main terminology common to this game. Ensure you clearly understand the following terms before you sit down at a table:

• Ante: An ante is the minimum bet that players have to gamble to play a game.
• Blinds: A blind refers to the money a player has to bet before the cards are dealt. There are typically two different kinds — the small blind and the big blind. A big blind will be of a higher monetary value, with the big blind and small blind rotating around the table after each deal.
• Call: A call refers to a player matching the amount of money that another player has raised the bet to.
• Check: A check is an action that a player can take if a new bet hasn’t been made. Instead of raising the bet, they can effectively pass their turn to see if any other players want to make a new bet. If all players check, the next round will commence, with the dealer turning a card or cards. 
• Fold: If you fold, you’ll discard your cards, along with any of the bets you’ve made so far. After you fold, there’s no way you can win the pot.
• Hole cards: Sometimes called “pocket cards,” hole cards are the first two cards given to players at the beginning of a game.
• Pot: The pot refers to the amount of money that has been bet so far.
• Raise: A raise occurs when a player wishes to increase the bet.
• Flop, Turn, River: These are the three stages of community card dealing.

Texas Hold ’em Rules

Once you know the basics, it’s time to learn Texas Hold ’em:

1. The deal: Each player receives two face-down hole cards. 
2. The blinds: The two players to the dealer’s left post the small and big blinds. These are forced bets to start the pot.
3. The flop: The dealer places three community cards face up.
4. The turn: A fourth community card is dealt.
5. The river: The fifth, final community card is turned over.
6. The showdown: Players still in the hand reveal their cards, and the best face-card hand wins the pot. If there are identical hands, the pot is split equally between players.

Players can call or raise as the game goes on based on their strategy and hand. If you fold, you’re out of the round. The game ends when no one can place any more bets, and one person has the entire pot, or everyone decides to end the game.

Beginning Texas Hold ’em Tips

When you first start learning how to play Texas Hold ’em, there are a few main tips to follow:

• Don’t play every hand: You don’t have to play every hand you receive. If you’re dealt low cards that are out of suit and not of the same ranking, it’s entirely respectable to fold once the chance to bet gets to you.
  
• Don’t over-bluff: While it’s exciting to bluff, it can be counterintuitive after other players begin to catch on to it. Until you get a better feel for the game and know how to read the table, keeping bluffing to a minimum can help you reduce risk and let you focus on developing other important skills. 
• Keep your bankroll in mind: When you play a game, it’s essential that you stick to placing bets that fit your bankroll. Your bankroll is the amount of money you’ve chosen to play the game with. This gives you a firm cutoff point, so you have to keep your bets manageable and your spending in control.
• Know the hand rankings: Review the information we detailed previously to get a solid grasp on the rankings.
• Remember that position matters: Act later in the round to get more information. The later your position, the more you know about your options and the other players’ hands.
• Don’t be afraid to fold: Many new players try to play too many hands or chase unlikely draws. Learn to fold when you’re behind, even if you’ve already committed some chips. Play straightforward and defensively when you’re learning to get familiar with the game.
• Avoid the high–stakes tables: Though it can be tempting to start playing high-money games, you’ll often find more experienced players there. To keep yourself playing with those who are near your skill level, stick to the tables that don’t require you to put down as much money for the buy-in. It’s also financially wise to stick to lower-limit tables, as you won’t have to blow your budget in one game.

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