How to play Texas Hold’em
Each player gets two private cards, five community cards are dealt face up in the middle, and there are four rounds of betting. Win the pot by making the best five-card hand at the showdown, or by betting until everyone else folds. Step through one full hand to see it happen.
Watch one hand, step by step
Blinds
You have the dealer button, so the two players to your left post forced bets before any cards: Ben the small blind (50) and Cleo the big blind (100).
The goal
Texas Hold’em is played for the chips in the pot. You win a pot in one of two ways: have the best hand when the cards are shown at the end, or make a bet nobody calls. That second way is why bluffing works — you don’t need the best cards if everyone else folds.
In a tournament, which is how FizzPoker plays, everyone starts with the same stack (10,000 chips) and the game ends when one player has them all. Hand strength is decided by the standard poker hand rankings, from royal flush down to high card.
The dealer button and the blinds
A disc called the button marks the dealer position. The player to its left posts the small blind and the next player posts the big blind, usually twice as much. These forced bets give everyone something to play for. After each hand, the button and the blinds move one seat to the left, so everyone pays their share.
On FizzPoker the blinds start at 50/100 and rise on a clock — every 3, 5, 10 or 15 minutes, depending on the speed the host picks — up to 2,000/4,000. Rising blinds keep a tournament moving: stacks that looked deep at the start get short, and players are pushed to take risks. Where you sit relative to the button matters a lot; see poker positions.
How a hand is played, step by step
- Post the blindsThe two players to the left of the dealer button post the small blind and the big blind, forced bets that start the pot.
- Deal the hole cardsEvery player gets two private cards, face down, dealt one at a time starting left of the button.
- Bet preflopStarting with the player left of the big blind and going clockwise, each player folds, calls the big blind or raises.
- Deal the flop and betThree community cards go face up. The first player still in to the left of the button starts a new betting round.
- Deal the turn and betA fourth community card goes face up, followed by another betting round.
- Deal the river and betThe fifth and last community card goes face up, followed by the final betting round.
- Show downIf two or more players are left, they show their cards. The best five-card hand from each player’s two cards plus the five on the board wins the pot.
- Move the buttonThe button moves one seat to the left, the blinds move with it, and the next hand is dealt.
A hand can end at any point: as soon as everyone but one player folds, that player wins the pot without showing their cards. A betting round is over when every player still in has either put in the same amount or gone all-in, and everyone has had a chance to act.
What you can do on your turn
| Action | When you can | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Check | Nobody has bet in this round yet | Pass without putting chips in. You stay in the hand. |
| Bet | Nobody has bet in this round yet | Put chips in. Everyone after you must call, raise or fold. |
| Call | Someone has bet | Match the current bet to stay in. |
| Raise | Someone has bet | Increase the bet. Everyone else must match the new amount or fold. |
| Fold | Any time it’s your turn | Give up the hand and any chips you’ve already put in. |
| All-in | Any time it’s your turn | Put in every chip you have. You can’t be forced out of a hand for lack of chips. |
One special case: before the flop, the big blind has already bet. If everyone just calls, the big blind can check to see the flop or raise. Action always moves clockwise, one player at a time.
No-Limit betting rules
In No-Limit Hold’em — the most popular version, and the one FizzPoker deals — you can bet any amount up to all your chips. Three rules set the boundaries:
- Minimum bet: the size of the big blind.
- Minimum raise: at least the size of the previous bet or raise in the same round. With blinds of 50/100, the smallest raise is to 200. If someone raises to 300 (a raise of 200), the next raise must be to at least 500.
- Maximum: everything in front of you. You can’t add chips in the middle of a hand, and you can only win as much from each opponent as you put in yourself.
An all-in that’s smaller than a full raise still counts, but it doesn’t reopen the betting for players who have already acted — they can call it, but not raise again. Online, the game enforces all of this for you: the bet slider only offers legal amounts.
The showdown and split pots
If more than one player is left after the river betting, it’s a showdown. Each player makes the best five-card hand from their two hole cards and the five community cards — using both hole cards, one, or none. In a live game, the last player to bet or raise on the river shows first; if nobody bet, the first player left of the button does. On FizzPoker the game reveals the hands and pushes the pot to the winner.
When two hands are exactly equal, the pot is split. Suits never break ties, and only five cards count, so the “kicker” — the highest card outside a pair or trips — often decides it. When the five community cards are the best hand for everyone, “the board plays” and every remaining player splits. If a pot can’t be divided evenly, the odd chip goes to the first winner left of the button. The which-hand-wins tool settles any showdown.
Side pots, in brief
When a player is all-in and others keep betting, the extra chips go into a side pot. Say Cleo goes all-in for 1,000 and two players call. The main pot holds 3,000 — 1,000 from each — and all three can win it. If the other two then bet 2,000 more each, that 4,000 forms a side pot only they can win. At the showdown the best hand among all three takes the main pot, and the best hand between the other two takes the side pot — even if Cleo’s hand was best overall.
Tournaments vs cash games
| Tournament (freezeout) | Cash game | |
|---|---|---|
| Chips | Everyone starts with the same stack | Chips stand for money; buy in for what you like, within limits |
| Blinds | Rise on a schedule | Stay the same |
| Leaving | You’re out when you lose your chips; no rebuys | Leave or top up any time |
| Winner | The last player with chips | Nobody — you count your stack when you leave |
FizzPoker plays freezeout tournaments for 2–9 players, with play chips that have no cash value — there are no buy-ins or payouts. It’s the easiest format for a group: equal stacks, a clear finish, and rising blinds that decide how long the game lasts. See free poker tournaments for timing. If the same group plays every week, a free league keeps members-only tables and all-time standings across your games.
Learn it by playing
The rules settle in after a few orbits. Deal a free table and send the link to friends, or fill the empty seats with bots at five skill levels (one needs no account, more need a free one) and practice against them. Keep the cheat sheet open in another tab, and look up any word you don’t know in the poker terms glossary. Once the rules feel natural, see how your decisions hold up in the Poker IQ test: twelve six-handed decisions, each one graded.
Questions people ask
How many cards do you get in Texas Hold’em?
Two private hole cards each, plus five community cards shared by everyone: three on the flop, one on the turn and one on the river. Your hand is the best five cards out of those seven.
Who goes first in Texas Hold’em?
Before the flop, the player to the left of the big blind acts first. On the flop, turn and river, the first player still in the hand to the left of the dealer button acts first. With only two players, the button acts first before the flop and last after it.
What is the minimum raise in No-Limit Hold’em?
A raise must be at least as big as the previous bet or raise in the same round. With blinds of 50 and 100, the smallest raise is to 200. If someone then raises to 300 — a raise of 200 — the next raise must be to at least 500.
Can you check after someone bets?
No. Once someone has bet in the current round, you can only call, raise or fold. You can check only when nobody has bet yet in that round, or in the big blind before the flop when nobody raised.
What happens if two players have the same hand?
They split the pot. Hands are compared by their best five cards only — pair or trips first, then kickers — and suits never break a tie. If the five community cards are the best hand for both, the board plays and the pot is split.
How can I play Texas Hold’em with friends online for free?
On FizzPoker, open a table in your browser, pick 2–9 seats and a blind speed, and send your friends the private link. It’s free, needs no download, uses play chips with no cash value, and tables of 2–4 players don’t need an account.