The Goal of Texas Hold’em
Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker game in the world — and the one you’ll find in the PokerNex Lobby and every Club. The goal is simple: make the best 5-card hand using your 2 private cards and the 5 shared community cards, or get everyone else to fold before the showdown.
1. You Get 2 Private Cards
Every player is dealt two cards face down — these are yours alone, called your “hole cards.” No one else can see them.
2. Betting Happens in 4 Rounds
A hand of Hold’em plays out in four stages, with a round of betting after each one:
- Pre-flop — right after you get your 2 hole cards, before any community cards are shown.
- The Flop — the first 3 community cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table.
- The Turn — a 4th community card is added.
- The River — the 5th and final community card is added.
After the river, if more than one player is still in the hand, it’s time for showdown — everyone left shows their cards and the best hand wins.
3. Your 4 Basic Actions
On your turn, during any betting round, you can:
- Fold — give up the hand and lose whatever you’ve already bet.
- Check — pass the action without betting (only if no one has bet yet this round).
- Call — match the current bet to stay in the hand.
- Raise — increase the bet, forcing others to match it or fold.
4. Making Your Best Hand
At showdown, you build the best possible 5-card hand using any combination of your 2 hole cards and the 5 community cards. You can use both hole cards, one, or even none — whatever makes the strongest hand. For the full ranking of hands from High Card up to Royal Flush, see our Starting Hands Chart.
5. The Blinds
To make sure there’s always something to play for, the two players to the left of the dealer post forced bets before cards are even dealt — the “small blind” and “big blind.” This rotates around the table every hand so everyone shares the cost.
Ready to Play?
That’s the whole game at its core: 2 cards, 4 betting rounds, best 5-card hand wins. Once you’re comfortable with the flow, jump into our Starting Hands Chart to learn which hands are worth playing, or head straight to the tables.
Join PokerNex and put the rules into practice at the table.
