How to play Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is the most popular kind of poker. Everyone gets two private cards, five shared cards are dealt in the middle, and you try to make the best five-card hand. On this site you play with fake chips only.

Starting a game

1. Type your name and create a table. You get a short code and a link.
2. Send the link (or the code) to friends. Up to 10 players can sit at one table.
3. When everyone's in, the host picks the starting chips and starts the game.

No friends around? Practice against computer players from the home screen.

How a hand works

1. Blinds. The two players left of the dealer button put in small forced bets (the small blind and big blind) so there's something to play for.
2. Hole cards. Everyone gets two cards only they can see.
3. Pre-flop betting. Starting left of the big blind, each player folds, calls, or raises.
4. The flop. Three shared cards are dealt face up, then another round of betting.
5. The turn. A fourth shared card, then betting.
6. The river. A fifth shared card, then a final round of betting.
7. Showdown. Players still in show their cards. The best five-card hand, using any mix of your two cards and the five shared ones, wins the pot.

If everyone else folds at any point, the last player left wins the pot without showing their cards.

Your options on your turn

• Check: pass without betting (only if nobody has bet yet this round).
• Call: match the current bet.
• Bet / Raise: put in more chips; everyone else then has to call, raise, or fold.
• Fold: give up the hand and any chips you've already put in.
• All-in: bet every chip you have. If you're all-in, you can still win the part of the pot you matched.

Winning the game

Run out of chips and you're out. The last player with chips wins the game.

Not sure which hand beats which? See the hand rankings.