Poker rules: how to play Texas Hold'em
Poker comes in many variants, but today Texas Hold'em is played almost everywhere. The rules take a few minutes to learn, and the game rewards patience, judgement and reading your opponents.
This guide has everything you need for your first hand: how a game unfolds, what the bets mean and which hand beats which. On Online igre poker is played against the computer and without real money, so Texas Hold'em poker is a good place to practise.
How a hand unfolds
Each player gets two cards that only they can see. Before the deal, the two players to the left of the dealer post forced bets, the small and big blind, so every hand has something to win.
A first betting round follows. Then three shared cards, the flop, are turned up, followed by another betting round. Then comes the fourth card, the turn, and the fifth, the river, with betting after each. Whoever is left at the end shows their cards.
What you can do on your turn
You can call, matching what the previous player bet. You can raise, betting more, so the others must match your bet or fold. If nobody has bet before you, you can check and stay in without betting.
You can also fold, throwing your cards away and losing what you have bet so far. Folding is no shame: good players fold most hands.
Hand rankings, weakest to strongest
From your two cards and the five shared ones you make the best five card hand. The weakest is high card, then a pair, two pair, three of a kind, then a straight of five consecutive cards, five to nine for example.
Above a straight comes a flush, five cards of one suit, then a full house, three of a kind plus a pair, then four of a kind. The strongest is a straight flush, and the very top is the royal flush: ten, jack, queen, king and ace of one suit. When two players hold the same kind of hand, the one with higher cards wins.
Starting hands worth playing
High pairs, such as two aces or two kings, are the strongest starting cards. Ace with king is good too, as are high cards of one suit. Small unsuited cards, a seven and a two for example, are usually best thrown away.
Position matters: the player who acts last in a round sees what the others did, so they can play weaker cards more often than the player who acts first.
Tips for your first games
Play fewer hands, but play them firmly. Beginners mostly lose by calling too many hands with weak cards, hoping for the right card on the river.
Bluffing is part of the game, but a rare one. Against an opponent who calls everything, bluffs do not work. Vegas Poker seats five computer opponents at the table, a good chance to see how the game changes with more players.
Cards on the table, nothing at stake
Poker is learned by playing, and the best place for that is a game without money, where mistakes cost nothing. Remember the hand rankings, play patiently and mind your position, and you will feel the progress quickly.
Both poker games are free and run in your browser. More card games wait in the Table games world, and if you like quicker decisions, try blackjack.