Beginner guide
How to Play Texas Hold’em Poker
In Texas Hold’em, each player receives two private hole cards. Up to five shared community cards are then revealed, and each remaining player uses the strongest five-card hand available.
Blinds and hole cards
Before cards are dealt, the small blind and big blind make the opening forced contributions. At JugarVed’s current table settings, those blinds are 2 and 4 virtual coins. Each player then receives two hole cards.
Pre-flop
The first betting round happens before any community cards are visible. Depending on the situation, a player may fold, call the current bet, raise, or take another currently legal action.
The flop
Three community cards are revealed on the board. Players still in the hand can combine those cards with their hole cards when considering their eventual best five cards.
The turn and river
The turn adds a fourth board card, followed by another betting round. The river adds the fifth and final board card, followed by the final betting round.
Showdown and early endings
If more than one eligible player remains after the river, the hand reaches showdown and the strongest eligible hand wins the relevant pot. A hand can end before showdown when all but one eligible player folds.
What the actions mean
- Fold: stop competing for the current pot.
- Check: pass when there is no amount to call.
- Call: match the current bet, up to the chips available.
- Bet: put in the first wager on a betting round.
- Raise: increase an existing bet when raising is allowed.
- All-in: commit the rest of your available stack when that action is legal.
Not every action is available in every situation. The table shows only actions that are legal for the active player and current betting state.
A best-five example
Suppose your hole cards are A♥ and K♦, and the board is A♣, K♠, 7♥, 4♣, 2♦. Your best five cards are A♥, A♣, K♦, K♠, and 7♥: two pair, aces and kings, with a seven kicker.
Next, review the hand rankings and tie breakers, return to the Poker overview, or read the FAQ.