A first hand of Texas hold’em

Start with the five-card objective

Texas hold’em gives each player two private cards and up to five community cards. At showdown, compare the best five-card hand each remaining player can make. You may use two, one or none of your hole cards. The game is different from variants that require a fixed number of private cards.

How a hand develops

The blinds create initial forced wagers under the table’s rules. After hole cards are dealt, the first betting round takes place. Three cards form the flop, followed by betting. The fourth card is the turn and the fifth is the river, with another round after each. If all but one player folds, the hand ends without comparing cards.

Choose the strongest combination

You hold K♥ 8♥. The final board is A♥ J♥ 4♥ 4♣ 2♦. Your best hand is the five-heart flush: A♥ K♥ J♥ 8♥ 4♥. The pair of fours on the board does not force you to use a pair instead. An opponent with a full house could still beat the flush; identifying your own hand is only part of the comparison.

Know the available actions

Checking passes the turn when checking is allowed. Calling matches the current bet. Raising increases it, subject to the game’s limits and minimum-raise rules. Folding gives up your claim to the pot. A no-limit label does not remove the requirement to make a valid action.

Use the official PokerStars rules for the game reference. The New Zealand poker information page is separate from this lesson; this edition does not publish poker operator promotions. Our tournament guide explains chips, fees and registration without claiming an event is available.