Poker Game Rules Guide

Learn poker rules for Texas Hold'em, Omaha, 3-Card Poker, 5-Card Draw, and Seven-Card Stud, including betting order, dealing, and showdown rules.

Choose a game

Texas Hold'em

Beginner

Ideal for new players

Texas Hold'em gives each player two private hole cards and places five community cards on the board. You make the strongest five-card hand from any combination of those seven cards, so you may use both hole cards, one, or neither.

Setup

Players

2–10 players

Deck

Standard 52-card deck

Blinds / Antes

Two forced bets: a small blind posted left of the dealer button and a big blind posted in the next seat. Cash games and tournaments may also add an ante.

Game flow

1The dealer button is assigned to one player; it moves one seat clockwise after each hand.
2The small blind and big blind post their forced bets.
3Each player is dealt two private hole cards face down.
4Preflop betting round begins with the player left of the big blind. Actions: fold, call (match the big blind), or raise.
5If nobody raises, the big blind may check or raise when action returns.
6The dealer burns one card, then deals the flop: three community cards face up in the center.
7Post-flop betting round begins with the first active player left of the dealer button. Actions: check, bet, call, raise, or fold.
8The dealer burns one card, then deals the turn: one community card face up.
9Third betting round, same order as the flop.
10The dealer burns one card, then deals the river: the final community card face up.
11Final betting round.
12Showdown: the final-round aggressor normally shows first. If nobody bet on the river, the first active player left of the button shows first. The best eligible five-card hand wins the pot.

Betting rules

No Limit (standard) / Fixed Limit / Pot Limit

•No Limit: when it is their turn, players may bet any legal amount up to their entire stack.
•A minimum raise must be at least the size of the previous full bet or raise in that round.
•Fixed Limit: bets and raises are set at a predetermined amount; the turn and river use a larger increment (usually double).
•All-in: a player who has fewer chips than the required bet may go all-in for their remaining stack. Side pots are created for the excess.
•A betting round ends when all active players have put in equal amounts or only one player remains.

Showdown & winning

Each player constructs the best five-card hand from any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards. Standard hand rankings apply (Royal Flush down to High Card). Players may use both hole cards, one hole card, or neither (playing the board). The pot is split if two or more players have identical five-card hands.

Key characteristics

•The other variants below are compared with Hold'em because it is the most familiar starting point.
•Players receive only two hole cards, giving less information and a smaller decision tree than Omaha.
•Community cards are shared by everyone, meaning multiple players can hold similar-strength hands simultaneously.

This guide covers dealing procedure, betting actions, and hand resolution. Posted house rules take priority. For what beats what, see the Hand Rankings Chart. For positional strategy, see the Position Strategy Chart.

Supported poker rooms

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Poker rules quick answer

Poker is a family of card games in which players bet on ranked hands. In Texas Hold'em, each player gets two private cards and shares five community cards. A hand moves through preflop, flop, turn, river, and showdown, unless every player but one folds first. Other poker games change the deal and hand-building rules.

Texas Hold'em lets you use both, one, or neither of your hole cards in the final five-card hand.
Omaha requires exactly two hole cards and exactly three community cards.
Five Card Draw has one draw and no community cards in the standard version.
Seven Card Stud uses antes and exposed cards instead of blinds and a shared board.

Poker rules that change from one game to another

Start with the house rules. Poker rooms can use different buy-ins, betting caps, antes, time limits, and procedures for unusual situations. This guide follows the 2026 WSOP live-action rules for the main game formats and the 2024 Poker TDA rules for tournament procedure. If a posted house rule differs, the house rule controls that game.

A Texas Hold'em hand starts with the small blind and big blind. Each player receives two cards, then the first betting round runs clockwise from the player left of the big blind. After the flop, turn, and river, action starts with the first active player left of the dealer button. A hand ends immediately when everyone but one player folds; otherwise, the remaining players compare five-card hands at showdown.

The most important Omaha rule is the two-plus-three requirement. You must use exactly two of your four hole cards and exactly three board cards. One suited hole card is not enough to make a flush, even when four cards of that suit are on the board. That single rule causes more beginner mistakes than the pot-limit betting calculation.

An all-in player can win only the chips they were eligible to contest. If one player is all-in for $40 and two opponents continue to $100, the first $120 forms the main pot and the extra $120 forms a side pot between the two deeper stacks. The dealer or poker client should keep those pots separate until the showdown.

Three Card Poker needs its own warning because it is a casino game rather than peer-to-peer poker. The dealer qualification rule, Pair Plus treatment, Ante Bonus, and payouts come from the posted table rules. A pay table from one casino should not be assumed to apply at another.

Poker game rules compared

The deal is the easiest way to tell these games apart. House rules can change limits, antes, and payout tables, but the hand-building rules below define each standard game.

Game	Private cards	Shared cards	Betting rounds	Hand-building rule
Texas Hold'em	2	5	4	Best five from any combination of 7 available cards
Pot Limit Omaha	4	5	4	Use exactly 2 private cards and exactly 3 shared cards
Five Card Draw	5	None	2	One draw, then the best five-card hand
Seven Card Stud	7 total	None	5	Best five cards from your own seven-card hand
Three Card Poker	3	None	Fixed decision	Three-card rankings and the posted table payout rules apply

Poker betting actions in plain English

Use clear words when chips are in play. The 2024 Poker TDA rules recognize bet, raise, call, fold, check, all-in, complete, and pot in pot-limit games as standard declarations.

Action	Meaning	When it is available
Check	Pass without betting	No bet is facing you
Bet	Put the first chips into the pot	The action is unopened
Call	Match the current bet	A bet or raise is facing you
Raise	Increase the current bet	Action is open and a full raise is legal
Fold	Give up the hand	Whenever you face action
All-in	Commit your remaining stack	When it is your turn to act

Sources and methodology

2026 World Series of Poker Official Live Action Rules: Primary rules for Hold'em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud, betting structures, and live-game procedure.
2024 Poker TDA Rules: Current tournament procedure, official betting terms, all-in showdowns, and action rules.
California Bureau of Gambling Control Three Card Poker Rules: Regulator-published example of dealer qualification, Play decisions, and table-specific wagers.

Rules Guide questions

What are the basic rules of poker?

Players receive cards, take turns checking, betting, calling, raising, or folding, and try to win the pot. The pot goes to the last player remaining after folds or to the best eligible hand at showdown. The exact deal and number of betting rounds depend on the poker variant.

What is the betting order in Texas Hold'em?

Before the flop, the player immediately left of the big blind acts first and the big blind acts last if nobody raises. On the flop, turn, and river, the first active player left of the dealer button acts first.

Do you have to use both hole cards in Texas Hold'em?

No. In Texas Hold'em you may use both hole cards, one hole card, or neither. Your result is always the strongest five-card hand available from your two hole cards and the five community cards.

How are Omaha poker rules different from Hold'em?

Omaha gives each player four hole cards, and the final hand must use exactly two of them with exactly three community cards. Hold'em gives each player two hole cards and lets the player use any combination of hole and board cards.

What happens when a poker player goes all-in?

An all-in player stays in the hand but cannot win chips above the amount they matched. Further bets between players with chips remaining form one or more side pots. Each pot is awarded separately to the best eligible hand.

Does a straight beat a flush in Three Card Poker?

Yes. Standard Three Card Poker ranks a straight above a flush because three-card straights are less common. The usual order is straight flush, three of a kind, straight, flush, pair, and high card, but the table's posted rules and payout schedule still control.

Choose a game

Texas Hold'em

Setup

Game flow

Betting rules

Showdown & winning

Key characteristics

Supported poker rooms

CoinPoker

Poker rules quick answer

Poker rules that change from one game to another

Poker game rules compared

Poker betting actions in plain English

Sources and methodology

Rules Guide questions

What are the basic rules of poker?

What is the betting order in Texas Hold'em?

Do you have to use both hole cards in Texas Hold'em?

How are Omaha poker rules different from Hold'em?

What happens when a poker player goes all-in?

Does a straight beat a flush in Three Card Poker?

Related poker tools

Choose a game

Texas Hold'em

Setup

Game flow

Betting rules

Showdown & winning

Key characteristics

Supported poker rooms

CoinPoker