Texas Hold'em Rules (Complete 7-Step Flow)
The complete 7-step flow of a Texas Hold'em hand, from posting the blinds to showdown: hole cards, pre-flop, flop, turn, river and showdown, explaining what happens at each stage.
A hand of Texas Hold'em proceeds through these 7 ordered steps:
Post the blinds
the player immediately left of the dealer button posts the small blind (forced bet), and the next player to the left posts the big blind (typically twice the small blind). These mandatory bets seed the pot before any cards are dealt.
Deal two hole cards
each player receives two private cards dealt face down (also called pocket cards), starting from the small blind position and proceeding clockwise. These cards are only revealed at showdown.
Pre-flop betting round
starting with the player left of the big blind (under the gun), each player clockwise may call (match the big blind amount), raise (increase the bet), or fold (discard their hand). The big blind acts last and may also raise if no one has raised before them.
The flop — deal 3 community cards
the dealer burns one card then deals three community cards face up in the center of the table. A betting round follows, starting left of the dealer button. Players may now check (pass without betting if no bet is due), bet, call, raise, or fold.
The turn — deal the 4th community card (Fourth Street)
the dealer burns one card then places a fourth community card face up beside the flop. Another betting round follows in the same order, with the same options: check, bet, call, raise, or fold.
The river — deal the 5th and final community card (Fifth Street)
the dealer burns one card then places the fifth community card face up. The final betting round takes place with the same options: check, bet, call, raise, or fold.
Showdown — determine the winner
all remaining players reveal their hole cards. Each player makes the best possible 5-card hand from any combination of their 2 hole cards and the 5 community cards (7 cards total). The highest-ranked hand wins the pot. If all opponents folded earlier, the last remaining player wins without showing cards.