One of the reasons that Texas Hold’em is the most popular version of poker played in the world today is its simplicity. It can take a lifetime to master but players can learn the basic rules of Texas Hold’em in just a few minutes and jump right into the action, slinging chips at the table.

Every player is dealt two cards facedown to begin a hand of Texas Hold’em, which is followed by a round of betting. The dealer then deals three cards face-up in the middle of the top; these three cards are called “the flop” and they’re community cards that are shared by all players. After the flop is dealt, there’s another round of betting. The dealer then deals another card face-up (called “the turn”), followed by a round of betting, then a final card is dealt face-up, which is called “the river”.

After the river card is dealt, there’s a final round of betting. When that’s complete, all players still in the hand turn over their cards, and the best five card poker hand wins. Players can use any combination of cards when making their best five card hand: they can use their two facedown hole cards plus three of the shared cards; they can use one of their hole cards plus four of the shared community cards; or players can simply play the five shared cards.

The pot goes to the player with the best hand. If there’s a tie, the pot is equally divided among players that tie for the best hand.

There are two main versions of Texas Hold’em played online and at casinos: No limit Texas Hold’em and Limit Texas Hold’em. As the name suggests, in No Limit Hold’em (NLHE) there’s generally no limit as to how much a player can bet when the action is on them. They can bet a few chips from their stack or their entire stack. In Limit Hold’em (LHE) the maximum amount a player can bet is pre-determined, and varies as the hand progresses.

Unlike 7 Card Stud and other games, Texas hold’em doesn’t use antes. The initial pot is created by one player being the small blind and the other the big blind; depending on the stakes being played the blinds must kick in a small amount to start the hand (much like antes, but limited to just the blinds being forced to pay them) before the two facedown hole cards are dealt to each player.