How to play Texas Hold'em

What's the goal of Texas Hold'em?

The goal is to win chips. You win a pot in one of two ways: show the best five-card hand at the end of the hand, or bet so that every other player folds before then. Because of the second way, you don't need the best cards to win a pot. That's what makes bluffing possible, and it's why Hold'em is as much about reading people as about the cards.

A game usually ends when one player has all the chips, or when you agree on a time to stop and see who has the most.

The dealer button and the blinds

One player has the dealer button. It moves one seat to the left (clockwise) after every hand, so everyone takes turns being in each position.

Before any cards are dealt, the two players to the left of the button put in forced bets called blinds, so there's always something to win:

• The small blind sits directly left of the button and puts in half the big blind.
• The big blind sits next to them and puts in the full amount.

With blinds of 5/10, the small blind posts 5 chips and the big blind posts 10. In many games the blinds go up over time so the game keeps moving. With only two players (heads-up), the button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop.

In Local Poker, the app moves the button and posts the blinds for you. The host can pick blinds from 5/10 up to 50/100 and have them go up every 10, 20 or 30 hands.

How are the cards dealt?

Each player gets two cards face down, called hole cards. Only you look at yours. At a real table the dealing starts with the small blind and goes around clockwise. In Local Poker, your two cards appear only on your own screen.

The four betting rounds

1. Preflop

After the hole cards are dealt, the player to the left of the big blind acts first, and the action goes around clockwise. The blinds count as bets, so to stay in you have to at least call the big blind. If nobody raises, the big blind can check when the action comes back to them.

2. The flop

Three community cards are dealt face up in the middle. These belong to everyone. From now on, the first player still in the hand to the left of the button acts first.

3. The turn

A fourth community card is dealt, followed by another round of betting.

4. The river

The fifth and last community card is dealt, followed by the final round of betting. If two or more players are still in after it, there's a showdown.

If everyone but one player folds at any point, that player wins the pot straight away and nobody has to show their cards.

What can you do on your turn?

A betting round ends when everyone still in the hand has put in the same amount, or has gone all-in.

How much can you bet in No-Limit Hold'em?

• The smallest bet is the size of the big blind.
• The smallest raise is the size of the last bet or raise in that round. With blinds of 5/10, if a player raises to 30 (20 more than the big blind), the next raise has to be to at least 50.
• The largest bet is all your chips. That's the “No-Limit” part.

The showdown: who wins?

After the last bet on the river, the players still in show their cards. If there was a bet on the river, the last player to bet or raise shows first. Each player's hand is the best five cards they can make out of seven: their two hole cards plus the five on the board. You can use both of your cards, one of them or none.

Hands rank like this, from best to worst:

1. Royal flush
2. Straight flush
3. Four of a kind
4. Full house
5. Flush
6. Straight
7. Three of a kind
8. Two pair
9. One pair
10. High card

Examples of each, with how often they come up, are on the poker hand rankings page.

An example. The board is K♠︎ 9♦︎ 7♣︎ 4♥︎ 2♠︎. You hold K♥︎ Q♣︎ and your friend holds K♦︎ J♠︎. You both have a pair of kings, so the next highest card, the kicker, decides it: your queen beats their jack, and you win the pot.

Local Poker names your hand on screen as the cards come out, like “Pair of Nines” or “Three Jacks”, so nobody has to work it out.

What is a split pot?

If two or more players have exactly the same five-card hand, they share the pot equally. Suits never break a tie in Texas Hold'em. For example, if the board is A♠︎ K♦︎ Q♥︎ J♣︎ 10♠︎, that's an ace-high straight that nobody can beat, so everyone still in the hand splits the pot.

How do side pots work?

When a player goes all-in with fewer chips than the others are betting, they can only win as much as they put in from each player. Any chips bet beyond that go into a side pot, which only the players who paid into it can win.

A worked example. Maya has 100 chips, Leo has 300 and Sam has 1,000. Before the flop, Maya goes all-in for 100, Leo goes all-in for 300 and Sam calls 300.

If Maya has the best hand, Maya wins the 300-chip main pot, and whoever is better out of Leo and Sam wins the 400-chip side pot. If Sam has the best hand, Sam wins both pots, all 700 chips.

Side pots are where home games most often go wrong. Local Poker builds them automatically and splits them down to the last chip.

Tips for your first game

• Play fewer hands. Folding most weak starting hands is normal. Pairs, two high cards and an ace with a good kicker are worth playing.
• Position matters. Acting last, on or near the button, lets you see what everyone else does first.
• Read the board. Before you bet big, check whether a straight or flush is possible for someone else.
• Don't over-bluff beginners. New players tend to call, so value bets with good hands usually win more.

Texas Hold'em glossary

• Board: the five community cards in the middle.
• Button: the dealer position, which moves one seat clockwise every hand.
• Blinds: the forced bets posted by the two players left of the button.
• Hole cards: your two private cards.
• Flop, turn and river: the first three, the fourth and the fifth community cards.
• Kicker: a card that isn't part of your pair or set but breaks ties.
• Heads-up: a hand or game with only two players.
• Under the gun: the first player to act before the flop, left of the big blind.
• Check-raise: checking, then raising after someone else bets in the same round.
• Muck: to fold or throw away your cards without showing them.
• The nuts: the best possible hand with the cards on the board.
• Side pot: a separate pot for chips that an all-in player can't win.

Questions

How many cards do you get in Texas Hold'em?

Two, dealt face down and seen only by you. Five community cards are dealt face up in the middle over the flop, turn and river, and every player shares them.

Do you have to use both of your hole cards?

No. Your hand is the best five cards out of seven, so it can use both hole cards, one of them or neither. When the five board cards are the best hand, everyone still in plays the board and the pot is split.

Can you check after someone has bet?

No. Once someone bets in a round, you can only call, raise or fold. You can check only when nobody has bet yet in that round. Before the flop, the big blind can also check if nobody raised.

What happens if you don't have enough chips to call?

You can go all-in with whatever you have left. You can then win only the part of the pot you matched. Any extra chips the other players bet go into a side pot that only they can win.

What's the difference between No-Limit and Limit Hold'em?

In No-Limit you can bet any amount, up to all your chips, whenever it's your turn. In Limit Hold'em, bets and raises come in fixed sizes. Local Poker plays No-Limit Texas Hold'em.

Ready to play? Here's how to set up a game with friends without internet.

Last updated October 8, 2026. Back to the Local Poker home page.