Key points
- Your hand is the best five cards you can make from your two hole cards and the five board cards.
- There are up to four betting rounds. If no one has bet, you can check or bet. If there is a bet, you can fold, call or raise.
- A raise must be at least as large as the previous raise. If an all-in leaves unequal amounts, the pot is split into separate pots.
01First, Three Key Rules
- Two hole cards and the boardYour hole cards are the two cards only you can see. The board consists of up to five face-up cards in the middle of the table. Everyone can use them.
- Make the best five-card hand from seven cardsYou may use both of your hole cards, one of them, or neither.
- Win the potThe pot is the total number of chips everyone has wagered during the hand. It goes to the remaining player with the strongest hand, or to the only player left after everyone else folds.
Cards that make the handRemaining card (kicker)Unused card
See the poker hand rankings for the complete ranking order.
02How a Hand Works
The action before any board cards appear is called preflop. The betting rounds after the first three, fourth, and fifth board cards appear are called the flop, turn, and river.
- 01BlindsThe SB and BB post firstSB 5BB 10
- 02PreflopDeal two hole cards to each playerBetting round 1
- 03FlopThree cards on the boardK♠︎♠︎9♦︎♦︎7♣︎♣︎Betting round 2
- 04TurnFourth card on the boardK♠︎♠︎9♦︎♦︎7♣︎♣︎4♥︎♥︎Betting round 3
- 05RiverFifth card on the boardK♠︎♠︎9♦︎♦︎7♣︎♣︎4♥︎♥︎2♠︎♠︎Betting round 4
- 06ShowdownIf two or more players remain, they reveal their hole cards and the strongest hand wins the potQ♥︎♥︎J♥︎♥︎
Gold borders mark the board cards dealt in that round. If only one player remains, the hand ends immediately and no more board cards are dealt.
Each betting round ends when every player who can still act has taken a turn and all wagers are matched. It also ends if everyone checks.
03Seats, Blinds, and Action Order
One seat at the table has the button, marked D. The seat to its left is the SB, and the next seat is the BB.
These two players put in fixed amounts before the cards are dealt. These forced bets are called the blinds. At 5/10, the SB puts in 5 and the BB puts in 10.
The button moves one seat to the left after each hand, so everyone takes turns posting the blinds.
Action moves clockwise. The first player to act changes between preflop and the later streets.
Preflop
Postflop
The numbers show the order of action for that betting round. 6 acts last.
Players who have folded or gone all-in are skipped. If someone raises, the action goes around again.
On the first round of action from the flop onward, the button always acts last. This position lets you see what the other players do before making your decision. See the article on position for details.
04Actions You Can Take on Your Turn
Your available actions depend on whether anyone has already wagered during the current betting round.
No one has bet in this round
- CheckPass the action without betting
- BetMake the first bet
Someone has already bet
- FoldDiscard your hole cards and leave the hand
- CallMatch the current total
- RaiseIncrease the bet
Preflop, the BB counts as the opening bet. The first player to act cannot check. If the action reaches the BB without a raise, the BB may check or raise.
Calling: Add Only the Difference
Subtract whatever you have already put in during the current betting round, then add only the remaining amount. When a new betting round begins, the count resets to 0.
If you posted 10 as the BB and an opponent raises to 25 total, calling costs another 15.
05Bet-Sizing Rules
The examples on this site and BlackPoker use no-limit rules. You may wager any amount up to all the chips you have. Only the minimum amount is restricted.
- A bet must be at least the size of the BB. At 5/10, the minimum bet is 10.
- A raise must increase the current bet by at least the previous raise increment. State a raise as the total amount you are raising to.
- Preflop, if nobody has raised yet, the raise size is based on the BB amount. At 5/10, you must raise to at least 20 total.
- BB10
- Button raisesTotal 25
- Next raiseTotal 40 or more
If you do not have enough chips to reach the minimum, you may still put all your chips in and go all-in.
06All-Ins and Side Pots
Going all-in means wagering all the chips you have. Even if you cannot match an opponent's wager, you remain in the hand until the end.
However, you can only contest the portion of each player's wager that matches the amount you put in. Additional chips matched by other players go into a separate side pot. Any unmatched amount is returned to the player who wagered it.
- Main pot 300Contested by A, B and C
- Side pot 400Contested by B and C
- Returned to C 200Unmatched amount
Even if Player A has the strongest hand, Player A can receive only the 300-chip main pot. Each pot is awarded separately.
With two or more players still in the hand, once all outstanding bets have been resolved and no more than one player has chips left to bet, all remaining board cards are dealt and the winner is determined.
Tied Hands
If the best five-card hands are equally strong, the pot is split evenly.
In BlackPoker, any chips left over after the split go to the winner seated closest to the left of the button.
07A Complete Hand
This is a six-player table with 5/10 blinds. We will follow only the betting action. The pot shown is the amount at the end of each betting round.
| Street | Action | Pot |
|---|---|---|
| Preflop | The SB posts 5 and the BB posts 10. The three players to the left of the BB fold. The button raises to 25 total. The SB folds. The BB adds 15 to call | 55 |
| Flop | The BB checks. The button bets 30, and the BB calls | 115 |
| Turn | Both players check | 115 |
| River | The BB bets 60. The button folds. Because nobody called the 60, it is returned to the BB | 115 |
The BB collects 115 without showing their cards. The 5 posted earlier by the SB is included in this amount.
08Check Your Understanding with 4 Questions
Question 1The blinds are 10/20 preflop. The first player raises to 50 total. What is the minimum total amount for the next raise?
View answer
The raise size is 50 − 20 = 30. The next raise must also add at least 30, so the minimum is 50 + 30 = 80 total.
Question 2You have posted 10 as the BB. An opponent raises to 30 total. How much more do you add to call?
View answer
Subtract the 10 you have already put in during this betting round and add only the amount you are short. 30 − 10 = 20.
Question 3Nobody has bet on the flop yet. Which action is unavailable on your turn?
View answer
A call matches an amount wagered by another player. If nobody has bet, there is no amount to match.
Question 4Player A is all-in for 200. Player B and Player C wager 500 each. If Player A has the strongest hand, how much can Player A receive?
View answer
Player A can contest up to 200 from each player. 200 × 3 players = 600 goes into the main pot. Player B and Player C contest the remaining 600.
09Try It in BlackPoker
BlackPoker is a single-player Texas Hold'em game played without wagering money. It uses standard no-limit Texas Hold'em rules and has no ante, a forced wager posted by every player.
When you choose a raise size, the smallest allowed amount is shown as “Minimum.”
Each action you choose receives a ○, △, or × mark. After any hand containing a △ or ×, you can review it on the Check your answer screen.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between checking and calling?
A check passes the action without betting when there is nothing to call. A call adds the amount needed to match the current bet.
Do you get your chips back when you fold?
No. They stay in the pot and go to the winner of the hand.
What if you do not have enough chips to call?
You can stay in the hand by putting in all your remaining chips (all-in). However, you can contest only the portion of each player's wager that matches the amount you put in.
What is the action order when only two players are at the table?
The button also posts the SB and acts first preflop. From the flop onward, the button acts last.
Produced and edited by Predy GamesPublished:Updated:Report an error:Contact
Try playing through a hand in BlackPokerBlackPoker is a single-player Texas Hold'em game played without real-money wagering. Each action receives a ○△× mark, so you can learn the action order and betting rules as you play.
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