Poker Rules – How to Play Poker – Updated 2024

Before delving into advanced poker strategies, let’s revisit the basic rules of poker. For many, the rules of Texas Hold’em poker might seem simple. In reality, however, many players, even after 1 to 2 months, still don’t fully grasp the rules of poker and how to play Texas Hold’em poker with JILIEVO

What is Poker?

Poker is a card game where you hold two hidden cards (hold cards) and players can bet and raise. The player with the best combination of cards wins the pot, or the player who raises wins if the others fold. 

Among various poker forms, Texas Hold’em no limit is by far the most popular. This article will guide you through the rules of poker, specifically Texas Hold’em. There are other poker variants, like Omaha or Short Deck, but they won’t be covered in this article.

General Poker Rules

In basic poker play, each player is dealt 2 private cards. Then, 3 community cards are dealt, followed by 1 more card in the turn and 1 in the river. A total of 5 community cards are dealt. Players will combine these 5 community cards with their 2 private cards to form the strongest possible hand. A common mistake among beginners is not realizing they can use 2, 1, or none of the community cards to form their hand. Between the card dealing phases (preflop, flop, turn, river) are betting rounds. There are 4 betting rounds in total. In each betting round, players have the options to fold, check/call, or bet/raise. Typically, players have 3 actions in each round.

Poker Rules through the Card Dealing Phases

Preflop – The First Betting Round

Before the cards are dealt, 2 players must post blinds. They are called “blinds” because players have to put money into the pot before seeing their cards. One player posts an amount X (depending on the table) called the small blind. The next player posts 2X (double the small blind) called the big blind. Blinds are posted in a rotating manner. A special chip, called the dealer button, is used to denote this position. After each round, the dealer button moves clockwise, and the players to the left of the dealer button post the SB and BB.

After posting blinds, each player receives 2 cards. The dealing rule in Texas Hold’em is that cards are dealt from the SB to the BB in a clockwise direction.

Order of Action

The first player to act in the preflop betting round is the player to the left of the Big Blind, known as UTG (Under the Gun). Actions proceed clockwise. The betting round ends when all players have acted, and no one has raised further.

In subsequent rounds – Flop, Turn, River, and Showdown – the first player to act is the Small Blind, followed by others in a clockwise manner.

Poker Rules Through the Dealing Phases

Flop – The First 3 Community Cards

After the first betting round in preflop, the dealer will deal 3 face-up community cards that everyone can see. These 3 cards are shared among all players. They are combined with the 2 private cards to form a 5-card hand. The second betting round then begins. You can continue to bet into the pot. After the second betting round, the third dealing phase will follow.

Turn – The 4th Community Card

The 4th community card is dealt. Players will now combine their 2 private cards with the 4 community cards to form the best possible 5-card hand. Always remember to use the strongest 5-card hand and discard unnecessary cards. This is when the concept of kicker (or “kicker”) comes into play, for example, “pair of Aces with King kicker” or “pair of Queens with Ace kicker.”

River – The 5th Community Card

In the river phase, the 5th community card is dealt. All cards have now been dealt. Players will combine their 2 private cards with all 5 community cards to form the strongest 5-card hand. Remember to use only the 5 best cards. You can use 2, 1, or none of the private cards in the strongest 5-card hand.

After the final card dealing, the last betting round begins. Players continue with check, bet, call, raise, or fold.

Showdown – Determining the Winner

In the showdown, all remaining players reveal their 2 private cards to determine the winner.

Summary of How to Play Poker

When learning the basic poker rules and how to play poker, always remember to count the strongest 5-card hand from top to bottom. Don’t just count pairs or sets, or you might lose a big pot.

In poker, there are betting rounds and card dealing phases as follows:

• Betting Round 01: Pot small blind, big blind
• Dealing Phase 01: Each player receives 2 private cards
• Betting Round 02: Preflop betting
• Dealing Phase 02: Flop – 3 community cards dealt
• Betting Round 03: Flop betting
• Dealing Phase 03: Turn – 4th community card dealt
• Betting Round 04: Turn betting
• Dealing Phase 04: River – 5th community card dealt
• Betting Round 05: River betting
• Final Round: Showdown (equivalent to Dealing Phase 05)

Thus, a typical poker hand has 5 betting rounds and 5 dealing phases, totaling 10 phases. Remember the specific names of each phase: preflop, flop, turn, river, and showdown.