Poker glossary

Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold'em is the most popular form of poker. Each player gets two private cards, and five community cards are dealt face up in the middle.

The simple explanation

You make the best five-card hand from your two hole cards and the five community cards. There are four rounds of betting: before the flop, on the flop, on the turn and on the river.

A closer look

Texas Hold'em can be played as limit, pot-limit or no-limit, in cash games or tournaments. No-limit Texas Hold'em is the best-known version and the game of most major tournaments. Success depends on position, starting hands, pot odds and reading opponents. The term is often shortened to Hold'em.

A practical example

A player is dealt A♥ K♦ and raises before the flop in Texas Hold'em.

Full explanation

Texas Hold’em is the most popular form of poker. Each player gets two private cards, and five community cards are dealt face up in the middle.

Texas Hold’em is the most popular form of poker.

Players have two private cards and share five.

There are four betting rounds.

It is often called Hold’em.

Alternative spelling: Texas Holdem, Texas Hold ’em, Hold’em, Holdem

Preflop

No-limit Hold’em · Blinds 1/2 chips · No rake

Read the example transcript

Player A has the button (BTN) and posts the 1-chip small blind (SB). Player B posts the 2-chip big blind (BB).

Preflop · Pot: 3 chips
The blinds are 1 and 2 chips. Heads-up, the dealer (D) also posts the small blind.
- Player A BTN / SB Ace of hearts (Ah)King of diamonds (Kd) · Stack 199 · In this round 1
- Player B BB 9 of clubs (9c)8 of clubs (8c) · Stack 198 · In this round 2
Preflop · Pot: 8 chips
Before the flop, Player A raises to 6. The betting round before any community cards is called preflop.
- Player A BTN / SB Ace of hearts (Ah)King of diamonds (Kd) · Stack 194 · In this round 6
- Player B BB 9 of clubs (9c)8 of clubs (8c) · Stack 198 · In this round 2

Cards are shown for learning; totals are displayed before pot collection.

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