School of Poker
Online Poker Rooms — The Complete Guide to Online Poker.

Let us keep you informed! Enter your Name and Email address to receive details of all the latest offers, tips, news and much, much more. click here to read about our Privacy Policy.

School of Poker » How to Play Texas Hold'em Poker

Online Texas Hold'em (aka Texas Hold'em, Texas Holdem) is widely considered to be the most popular of all of the “community card” poker games played on the Internet. Compared to all other poker games, Texas Hold’em is said to be the most “positional,” that is, the betting order is fixed throughout all of the betting rounds.

Getting Started Playing Texas Hold'em Poker Online
Texas Hold'em is normally played with anywhere from two and 10 players. In a game there’s a marker known as the "dealer button." The dealer button signifies the point from which the cards will be dealt, as though each player at the table is taking their turn dealing the cards.

The playing action always begins to the left of the dealer button, and continues to move clockwise to the next person at the end of every hand.

The initial actions are referred to as “Binds,” and in Texas Hold'em there are typically two blinds: The Big Blind (entire bet) and the Small Blind (half the entire bet). Blinds are forced wagers, similar to antes, intended to create additional action in the game.

A game of Texas Hold'em is played with each player being dealt 2 “pocket cards.” Afterwards, 5 “community cards” are dealt and available for any player to use. These 5 “community cards” are dealt out at different intervals, with betting rounds following each card dealt. From their 2 pocket cards and 5 community cards, each person will attempt to build their best possible 5-card hand.

Let the Games Begin
The 2 pocket cards are dealt first – face down – and then a betting round takes place. Players not wishing to stay in the game may “Fold.” A player matching the wager will “Call,” and a player wishing to match the Big Blind, as well as add more money to it, is said to “Raise.”

Once the first round of wagering has been completed, 3 community cards are dealt and positioned in the center of the table. These cards are also called "The Flop."

Following the flop, the second round of betting takes place, commencing with the player sitting to the left of the dealer button. At this time, players may opt to Check (not place another bet), Call, Bet (the amount of the first wager), or Raise.

Once this second round of betting has been completed, the fourth community card (also called "The Turn" or "Fourth Street"), is dealt to the middle of the table, and another round of betting takes place.

Following the third round of betting, the fifth & final card is dealt. This fifth “community card” is known as "The River" or "5th Street.”

After the fifth card is dealt, the final round of wagering commences, followed by those players still in the game revealing their best 5-card hand created from all 7 cards.

And the Winner is…
The player with the strongest hand wins the entire pot. Then all cards and chips are cleared from the table and a new round begins. And there you have it; online Texas Hold'em poker. Enjoy!