The goal
You win chips by taking the pot. There are two ways to do it: have the best hand when the cards are shown, or make everyone else fold. Because you can win without showing a hand, a lot of poker is about the bets, not the cards.
Before the cards come out
One player holds the button, a marker that moves one seat to the left after every hand. The two players left of the button post forced bets so there is something to win: the small blind first, then the big blind, which is twice as big. Every player is then dealt two private cards, your hole cards. Nobody else sees them.
The four betting rounds
1. Before the flop
Starting with the player left of the big blind, everyone chooses to fold, call the big blind, or raise. Betting goes around the table until every player still in has put in the same amount. Which hands to play from which seat is the biggest early skill; the starting hand chart shows it seat by seat.
2. The flop
The dealer puts three cards face up in the middle. These are shared by everyone. Another round of betting follows, starting with the first player still in to the left of the button.
3. The turn
A fourth shared card is dealt, followed by another round of betting. In most games the bets get bigger from here.
4. The river
The fifth and last shared card comes out, and there is one more round of betting.
What you can do on your turn
- Fold: give up your cards and the chips you already put in.
- Check: pass without betting. Only allowed when nobody has bet in this round.
- Bet: put chips in when nobody has yet.
- Call: match the current bet.
- Raise: increase the bet. Everyone else must now call the new amount, raise again, or fold.
- All-in: bet every chip you have. If you can't cover a bet, the extra goes into a side pot you can't win.
The showdown
If two or more players are left after the river betting, they turn their cards over. Each player makes the best five-card hand from their two cards and the five shared cards, and the best hand takes the pot. Equal hands split it. To check what beats what, use the hand rankings page.
One hand, start to finish
You are on the button with the A♥ K♥. Two players fold, and the player in the cutoff seat raises. You call. The flop comes Q♥ 7♥ 2♣, giving you the nut flush draw (any heart that arrives makes the best possible flush). Your opponent bets, you call, and the turn is the 4♠. They check, you check. The river is the 9♥: you made your flush. They bet, you raise, and they fold. You win the pot without a showdown. If the river had been a blank, you could have checked and given up, or tried a bluff.
Mistakes new players make
- Playing too many hands before the flop. Most starting hands are folds, and the early seats should fold the most.
- Calling just because you have already put chips in. Chips in the pot belong to the pot, not to you. Decide each bet on its own.
- Forgetting that the kicker, the side card, decides ties between equal pairs.
- Ignoring the seat. Acting last is a real advantage; see poker position.
Next, the twelve short lessons cover outs, pot odds, bluffing and reading players, and the table rules settle the usual arguments about raises and showdowns.