JAEN中文한국어

Texas Hold'em for Beginners

Poker Guide

Learn Texas Hold'em through diagrams and calculations.

From rules and hand rankings to street-by-street decisions, hand reading and bluffing. Cards are shown in diagrams, and probabilities are backed by calculations.

16 articles6 categories

Hand rankings

Hands higher on the list are stronger. Cards with gold borders make up the hand.

Learn how ties between the same hand rank are decided
  1. 1Royal flush10, J, Q, K and A of the same suitA♠︎♠︎K♠︎♠︎Q♠︎♠︎J♠︎♠︎10♠︎♠︎0.003%
  2. 2Straight flushFive consecutive cards of the same suit9♥︎♥︎8♥︎♥︎7♥︎♥︎6♥︎♥︎5♥︎♥︎0.03%
  3. 3Four of a kindFour cards of the same rankQ♠︎♠︎Q♥︎♥︎Q♦︎♦︎Q♣︎♣︎7♠︎♠︎0.17%
  4. 4Full houseThree cards of one rank and two of anotherK♠︎♠︎K♥︎♥︎K♦︎♦︎4♣︎♣︎4♠︎♠︎2.6%
  5. 5FlushFive cards of the same suitA♦︎♦︎J♦︎♦︎8♦︎♦︎6♦︎♦︎2♦︎♦︎3.0%
  6. 6StraightFive consecutive ranks10♣︎♣︎9♦︎♦︎8♠︎♠︎7♥︎♥︎6♣︎♣︎4.6%
  7. 7Three of a kindThree cards of the same rank7♠︎♠︎7♥︎♥︎7♦︎♦︎K♣︎♣︎2♠︎♠︎4.8%
  8. 8Two pairTwo pairs of cards with matching ranksJ♠︎♠︎J♥︎♥︎5♦︎♦︎5♣︎♣︎A♠︎♠︎23.5%
  9. 9One pairTwo cards of the same rank10♥︎♥︎10♣︎♣︎A♠︎♠︎8♦︎♦︎4♣︎♣︎43.8%
  10. 10High cardNo made handA♣︎♣︎Q♦︎♦︎9♠︎♠︎6♥︎♥︎3♣︎♣︎17.4%

The frequency is the chance of making that hand from two hole cards and five board cards.

How a hand plays out

There are four betting rounds.

Read the full rules
  1. SB · BB01BlindsTwo players post fixed amounts first
  2. 02PreflopDeal two hole cards to each player. First betting round
  3. K♠︎♠︎9♦︎♦︎7♣︎♣︎03FlopThree cards on the board. Second betting round
  4. K♠︎♠︎9♦︎♦︎7♣︎♣︎4♥︎♥︎04TurnFourth card on the board. Third betting round
  5. K♠︎♠︎9♦︎♦︎7♣︎♣︎4♥︎♥︎2♠︎♠︎05RiverFifth card on the board. Final betting round
  6. Showdown06ShowdownThe remaining players reveal their hole cards, and the strongest hand wins

Gold borders mark the board cards dealt in that round. If everyone but one player folds during betting, the remaining player wins.

Contents

6 categories and 16 articles.

Not sure where to start?

Choose from three reading paths.

  1. 01

    New to poker

    Rules → Hand rankings → Comparing hands → Terms

    Start with the rules
  2. 02

    I know the rules and want to learn strategy

    Starting hands → Position → Postflop

    Start with starting hands
  3. 03

    I want to use probabilities and numbers

    Probabilities → Pot odds → Bet sizing

    Start with the probability chart

Try one question

Each article ends with a question like this. Select an answer to see whether you got it and view the answer diagram.

1 questionWho wins?

BoardK♠︎♠︎K♦︎♦︎9♣︎♣︎6♥︎♥︎2♠︎♠︎
Player AA♣︎♣︎9♦︎♦︎
Player BQ♣︎♣︎Q♥︎♥︎
View answer

BoardK♠︎♠︎K♦︎♦︎9♣︎♣︎6♥︎♥︎2♠︎♠︎
Player AA♣︎♣︎9♦︎♦︎
K♠︎♠︎K♦︎♦︎9♣︎♣︎9♦︎♦︎A♣︎♣︎Two pair
Player BQ♣︎♣︎Q♥︎♥︎
K♠︎♠︎K♦︎♦︎Q♣︎♣︎Q♥︎♥︎9♣︎♣︎Two pairWin

Both players have two pair. Their higher pair is the same, K, but the lower pairs are 9 and Q, so Player B wins. Player A's A does not come into play.

Use at the table

Common figures are listed in the chart. Use the calculator below for other figures.

Chance of hitting after the flop
OutsNext cardBy the river
4 outs8.5%16.5%
8 outs17.0%31.5%
9 outs19.1%35.0%
15 outs31.9%54.1%

9 outs is the usual count when you are one card short of a flush.

Equity needed to call
Opponent's bet as a share of the potRequired equity
One-third20.0%
Half25.0%
Two-thirds28.6%
Same amount33.3%

If your estimated equity is higher than this figure, the call has positive expected value over repeated situations.

Calculate figures not listed in the chart

Equity needed to call25.0%50 ÷ (150 + 50)

Example: If an opponent bets 50 into a pot of 100, the pot becomes 150 and the call costs 50. If your estimated equity is higher than the required equity, the call has positive expected value over repeated situations.

BlackPoker's review screen. For each street, it shows your action, the Recommended move, and ○△× marks.
Review screen

BlackPoker

Put what you learned into practice

BlackPoker is a single-player Texas Hold'em game played without real-money wagering. The screen shows estimated equity and the equity needed to call. Each action receives a ○△× mark and a short comment.

Go to BlackPoker

We do not encourage real-money wageringThis guide does not promote online casinos or real-money wagering sites.

Probabilities are calculatedWe verify them by counting combinations or repeatedly dealing hands.

The same wording used in the gameThis guide uses the same terms shown on the BlackPoker screen, including Fold and 3-bet.

Edited by the Predy Games Editorial TeamUpdated:Probabilities: figures calculated from every seven-card combination and verified through repeated deals