ℹ️ General Information
The game uses a standard 52-card deck. Cards are ranked from Two (low) to Ace (high). The Ace has one special feature: it can act as both the highest card and the lowest card in a sequence (explained in more detail in the "Straight" and "Straight Flush" sections).
Card suits do not have a rank order (one suit is not stronger than another).
♠️ Hand Rankings
To play poker successfully, you must memorize the hand rankings. Remember, a poker hand always consists of exactly five cards. You form it by choosing the best possible combination from your two hole cards and the five community cards on the table.
Hands are listed below in descending order of strength:
- Royal Flush: The five highest cards of the same suit (Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten).
- Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
- Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank and one kicker.
- Full House: Three cards of one rank and a pair of another rank.
- Flush: Any five cards of the same suit (not in sequence).
- Straight: Five consecutive cards of mixed suits.
- Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank and two kickers.
- Two Pair: Two different pairs of cards of the same rank and one kicker.
- One Pair: Two cards of the same rank and three kickers.
- High Card: A hand with no matching cards, consisting of one high card and four kickers.
If two or more players have hands of the same rank, the winner is determined by the kicker—the highest-ranking card not used in the main combination. You can read more in the dedicated article: Kicker.
If the hands and all relevant kickers are identical, the players have equal strength, and they split the pot equally.
🔄 Betting Rounds
Each hand in Texas Hold'em consists of several consecutive stages:
- Preflop: Each player is dealt two hole cards face down, followed by the first betting round.
- Flop: The first three community cards are dealt face up, followed by the second betting round.
- Turn: The fourth community card is dealt, followed by the third betting round.
- River: The fifth and final community card is dealt, followed by the final betting round.
- Showdown: Players who have not folded reveal their hole cards. The player who can make the strongest five-card hand using any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards wins the pot.
🎯 Player Actions
During betting rounds, players can bet, raise, call, or fold. Making the right decision at the right time is crucial for success in poker.
The main types of betting actions are:
- Blind: A forced bet that one or two players must make before the cards are dealt. Blinds ensure there is money to play for in every hand. They are divided into the small blind and the big blind.
- Bet: The first voluntary wager in a betting round. The minimum bet is at least the size of the big blind.
- Raise: Increasing the size of an existing bet made by a previous player in the same round. The minimum raise must be at least the amount of the previous bet or raise in that round.
- All-in: A bet of all the chips a player has in front of them. If other players have more chips, a side pot may be created.
Other actions:
- Call: Matching the current highest bet to stay in the hand.
- Check: Declining to bet when no one has made a bet in the current round, passing the action to the next player. Checking is only possible if no bet has been placed yet.
- Fold: Discarding your hole cards and forfeiting any claim to the pot, ending your involvement in the current hand.