Poker Rules - Rules of Texas Holdem

Poker Hand Rankings

A poker hand consists of 5 playing cards. Poker hands fall into one of several categories, such as flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair and a few more others. The player who has the higher category wins. If two players have hands in the same category, the tie is broken usually by who has higher cards. Below is a table of the hand categories, highest to lowest.

Category	Example	Info
Straight Flush		A Straight Flush consists of 5 cards in numerical sequence, all of the same suit. The highest straight flush wins. AKQJT is the highest straight flush, and is also called the royal flush. 5432A is the lowest straight flush.
4-of-a-kind		The highest 4-of-a-kind wins. If two players have the same 4-of-a-kind, then the highest 5th card wins. 4-of-a-kind is also known as quads.
Full House		A full house consists of a 3-of-a-kind and a pair. The highest 3-of-a-kind wins. If two players have the same 3-of-a-kind, then the highest pair wins. The Full House is also known as a boat.
Flush		A Flush consists of 5 cards of the same suit. The flush with the highest top card wins. If two flushes have the same top card, then the flush with the highest 2nd-to-top card wins, and so on.
Straight		A Straight consists of 5 cards in numerical sequence. The straight with the highest top card wins. AKQJT is the highest straight; 5432A is the lowest straight.
3-of-a-kind		The highest 3-of-a-kind wins. If two hands have the same 3-of-a-kind, then the 2 kickers (unpaired cards) are used to break the tie. 3-of-a-kind is also known as trips. If you have a pocket pair in Texas Hold'em, and you form trips by the third card coming onto the board, this is known as a set.
Two pair		The hand with the highest top pair wins. If the top pairs are equal, then the bottom pairs are used to break the tie. If those are also equal, then the kicker (unpaired card) is used to break the tie.
One pair		The hand with the highest pair wins. If the pairs are equal, then the kickers are used to break the tie, first by comparing the highest kicker, then the 2nd highest kicker, and finally the lowest kicker.
High card		If a hand does not fit in any other category, it is judged by high cards. Two hands are compared by taking the highest cards and comparing them. If those are equal, then the 2nd highests are compared, and so on.

Texas Hold em Poker Rules

The Deal and The Blinds

The dealer shuffles a standard 52-card deck.

(In casinos, the dealer never plays. A round disc -- known as a "dealer button" -- moves clockwise from player to player with each hand. The button marks which player would be the dealer if the deal were advanced from player to player as the game went along.)

Most Texas Hold 'Em Poker games start with the two players to the left of the dealer (the button) putting a predetermined amount of money into the pot before any cards are dealt, ensuring that there's something to play for on every hand.

This is called "posting the blinds." Most often, the "first blind" -- the player to the left of the dealer -- puts up half the minimum bet, and the "second blind" puts up the full minimum bet.

Each player is dealt two cards, face down. These are known as the "hole cards."

Betting Begins

A round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the two who posted the blinds. Players can call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet. There are four rounds of betting. One before the Flop, one before the turn, one before the river, and the final round on the turn.

The Flop

After the first betting round, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called burning the card and is done to ensure that no one accidentally saw the top card, and to help prevent cheating.

The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the "flop."

NOTE: Eventually, a total of five community cards will be placed face up on the table. Players can use any combination of the community cards and their own two hole cards to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.

After the flop, another round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer (the button). During this and all future rounds of betting, players can check, call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.

The Turn (Fourth Street)

After the second betting round, the dealer burns another card and plays one more face up onto the table. This, the fourth community card, is called the "turn" or "Fourth Street."

The player to the left of the dealer (the button) begins the third round of betting.

The River (Fifth Street)

After the third betting round, the dealer burns another card before placing the final face-up card on the table. This card is called the "river" or "Fifth Street."

Final Betting and The Winner

Players can now use any combination of seven cards -- the five community cards and the two hole cards known only to them -- to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.

The fourth and final round of betting starts with the player to the left of the dealer (the button).

After the final betting round, all players who remain in the game reveal their hands. The player who made the initial bet or the player who made the last raise shows their hand first.

The player with the best hand wins.