THE PLAYFORCHIPS GUIDE
Texas Hold’em: 10 beginner questions
Ten common Texas Hold’em questions, with plain answers and examples. Start with the rules, or jump to a term you’ve seen at the table.
How do you play Texas Hold’em poker?
Each player receives two private cards, and up to five shared cards are dealt in the middle. Players take turns checking, betting, calling, raising, or folding. You win a pot by having the strongest five-card poker hand at showdown, or by being the only player who has not folded.
There is a betting round before the shared cards appear, then another after the flop, turn, and river. Unlike blackjack, you compete against the other players, not the dealer. PlayForChips uses no-limit Hold’em with computer opponents and virtual chips.
Back to questionsDo you have to use both hole cards in Texas Hold’em?
No. Your best hand uses exactly five cards, chosen from your two private hole cards and the five community cards. You may use both hole cards, just one, or neither. There is no bonus for using your own cards.
Example
You hold A♥ 9♣ and the board is K♠ Q♦ J♥ 10♣ 2♠. Your ace completes A–K–Q–J–10, so you use one hole card. The nine is left out because the ace-high straight is stronger.
What are the blinds, and who acts first in Texas Hold’em?
Blinds are compulsory bets that start the pot. With three or more players, the first active seat clockwise from the dealer button posts the small blind, and the next posts the big blind. The button moves around the table between hands.
Before the flop, action starts after the big blind. After the flop, it starts with the first player still able to act clockwise from the button. With only two players, the button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop, but last afterward. PlayForChips starts with 5/10 blinds.
Back to questionsWhat do flop, turn, and river mean in poker?
The flop is the first three community cards, dealt together. The turn is the fourth community card. The river is the fifth and final community card. Everyone still in the hand can use these shared cards to make their best hand.
Preflop means before any community cards are dealt. Each stage has a betting round, sometimes called a street. A hand can end before the river if everyone but one player folds. When all remaining players are all in, the remaining cards can be dealt without more betting decisions.
Back to questionsWhat do check, call, and fold mean?
Check means pass the action without adding chips when you have no outstanding bet to match. Call means match the current bet, using only the extra chips you still owe. Fold means leave the hand and give up any claim to its pot.
Example
You have already put in 10 chips and an opponent raises to 30. Calling costs another 20. You cannot check because you owe chips. Folding costs nothing more, but the 10 chips already committed stay in the pot.
How much can you raise in no-limit Texas Hold’em?
You can raise up to your remaining stack. A full raise must increase the current bet by at least the size of the last full bet or raise on that street. An opening bet must normally be at least the big blind. A shorter all-in is an exception.
“Raise to” means your total for this betting round, including chips already paid. A single short all-in does not reopen raising for someone who has already acted and is facing less than a full raise.
Example
Someone bets 20 and another player raises to 50: the increase was 30. The next full raise must reach at least 80, not 100.
What does all-in mean, and how do side pots work?
All-in means committing every chip you have left. You stay in the hand even if you cannot match a larger bet, but you can win only the pot portions covered by your contribution. Further matched bets between other players go into a side pot.
An uncalled amount is returned to its owner. Multiple different all-in amounts can create several side pots.
Example
With no other contributions, you put in your last 40 chips and two opponents each contribute 100. The main pot is 120: 40 from each player. The other 120 forms a side pot that only those two opponents can win, even if you have the best cards.
What is a kicker in poker?
A kicker is a side card in your five-card hand that can break a tie after the main combination matches. With the same pair, compare the highest kicker first, then the next one if needed. Cards outside the best five never break a tie.
Example
The board is K♣ 8♦ 5♠ 3♥ 2♣. You hold K♥ A♦ and an opponent holds K♦ Q♥. Both have a pair of kings, but your A–8–5 kickers beat their Q–8–5. The ace decides the hand.
When do you split the pot in Texas Hold’em?
Players split a pot when their best five-card hands have equal value. Having the same hand category alone is not enough: pairs, kickers, and other relevant card ranks must also tie. Suits do not rank above one another in Hold’em.
Example
The board is A♣ K♦ Q♠ J♥ 10♣. Every player still in has an ace-high straight. No private card can improve it, so they share the pot they are eligible to win. A sixth card cannot decide the winner.
How do you choose which starting hands to play?
Start by recognizing strong pairs such as aces, kings, and queens, plus strong high-card combinations such as ace-king. Pocket aces are the strongest starting hand before the flop, but any starting hand can lose. Two cards sharing a suit are not automatically worth playing.
Your position, the bets ahead of you, stack sizes, and number of opponents matter. Acting later gives you more information; facing a large raise calls for more selectivity. When practicing, notice how your hand changes after each community card instead of deciding at the start that you must stay in.
Back to questionsSources
These answers use the references below and the rules of the PlayForChips table. House rules elsewhere can differ.