The rules of Texas Hold'em are actually very logical and simple and require just a few minutes to learn.

Mastering Texas Hold'em, however, will take you a bit longer.

Texas Holdem Rules

If you're just getting started learning Texas Holdem, keep this guide handy for quick reference. If you ever get confused by the action, read below for some guidance.

Each topic contains links to more in-depth articles on that specific aspect of Texas Holdem rules. When you feel you've got the hang of it and are ready to play some real money online poker, check out our Texas Hold'em poker site rankings for the best places to get right into a Texas Holdem game online.

Before we get into describing the full rules and game play, here's a quick glossary of terms you'll encounter.

Blinds: Short for "blind bets," these are the forced bets made before the cards are dealt. In Hold'em, blinds take the place of the classic "ante."

Button: Nickname for the player acting as the dealer in current hand.

Check: Similar to a call but no money is bet. If there is no raise preflop, the big blind may check.

Flop: The first three community cards dealt.

Fourth Street: See Turn.

Fifth Street: See River.

All-In: A player puts all of his or her remaining chips into the pot 

Preflop: Anything that occurs before the flop is dealt is preflop.

River: The final (5th) community card dealt; also known as fifth street.

Showdown: When players reveal their hands to discover the pot's winner.

Turn: The fourth community card dealt; also known as fourth street

How to Play Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em is a community card poker game with game play focused as much on the betting as on the cards being played. Although the rules and game play are the same the end goal is slightly different depending on if you're playing a Texas Holdem cash game or a Texas Holdem tournament.

A Texas Hold'em tournament is the same as any other game of Hold'em with a few added rules and twists. Learn more about the unique rules of Texas Holdem poker tournaments. For now, assume all players have chips in front of them.

The next step is picking the player who will start with the dealer button. Hold'em is played with what's known as a rotating dealer, meaning a player will act as the dealer for one hand and then pass the role of dealer on to the player on their left when the hand is completed.

To choose the dealer, either deal every player one card or spread the cards face down on the table and have every player choose one. The player with the highest-valued card (aces are high for selecting a dealer) starts as the dealer.

The Button

If you're in a live poker room or casino with a professional dealer (or someone volunteers to always physically deal the cards) the dealer button will still rotate around the table. Even though he or she is physically dealing the cards, for all intents and purposes the person with the button is viewed as being the dealer for the hand.  Once the hand completes the player with the dealer button will pass it to the player on his or her left.

A Texas Holdem cash game is played on a single table with two to 10 players. The goal is simple: win as many chips as you can, one pot at a time. You win a pot by having the best hand or by having all other players fold before the showdown.

A Texas Hold'em game can be broken up into three main parts:

Setup

Betting Rounds

Showdown

Texas Hold'em Rules - The Blinds

Now that you have a dealer, you need to put out the blinds. There are two blinds in Texas Holdem - a small blind and a big blind. These are forced bets required by two players to make sure there are some chips in the pot worth playing for. Without any money in the pot all players might be inclined to fold much more often, slowing down the action considerably.

The player directly to the left of the dealer puts out the small blind. The big blind (usually double that of the small blind) is then paid by the player to the left of the small blind. The size of the blinds will dictate the stakes of the game you're about to play.

Typically, you want players to buy in for no less than 100 times the size of the big blind.

If you want to buy in for $20 you should play with blinds of 10¢/20¢. For convenience, most people will play 10¢/25¢.

At a live casino or poker room the maximum and minimum amounts a player can be in for will be in relation to the blinds. For example in a $1/$2 game the table minimum is usually $40 (20x the big blind) and the maximum is $200 (100x the big blind).

Back to the chips:  If you're playing in a live casino or online your chips will be provided for you in increments that make sense for the stakes you're playing.

If you're playing at home, you'll need to determine which chips to use and how to distribute them. Once the blinds are set we know what kind of chips we'll need to play with. (In the above example we'd use 10¢ chips, 25¢ chips and maybe a few $1 chips.)

You want to give players enough chips in each denomination to allow the game to run smoothly. Typically a player will need only 10% of their total chips in the smallest denomination, as they are only ever used to pay the small blind. For the most part, all betting will be done with chips larger than that of the small blind.

Once you have the chips sorted out and the first blinds in the pot, you're now ready to deal the first hand.