Poker
Learn poker the way you would at a friend's table.
Plain-English rules, the hand rankings you will want to keep open on your phone, and an odds tool that does the maths for you. Pick a page below, or follow the order if you are brand new.
Where to start
Learn Texas Hold'em first.
Almost every home game, online table and televised tournament is Texas Hold'em, so it is the best place to begin. You hold two private cards, five shared cards go in the middle, and you make the best five-card hand you can from any combination of the seven.
A good order for a complete beginner: learn the hand rankings, then read the Hold'em rules, then play a few hands with friends. When you want to know whether a draw is worth chasing, open the odds calculator.
Already comfortable with Hold'em? Try Omaha, or read the home game guide if you are the one hosting Friday night.
The guides
Every poker page, in one place.
- Start herePoker hand rankingsAll ten hands from royal flush to high card, how often you are dealt each one, and how ties are broken.
- The main gameTexas Hold'em rulesBlinds, the four betting rounds, what you can do on your turn, side pots and a full hand played out.
- Next gameOmaha rulesFour hole cards and one rule that trips everybody up: you must use exactly two. Plus Hi-Lo.
- ToolPoker odds calculatorCount your outs, see the exact chance of hitting, and check whether a bet is worth calling.
- HostingHome game guideChip counts, a blind schedule that finishes in a few hours, dealer rotation and the house rules to settle first.
The basics
What every poker game has in common
- Hands are ranked the same way in Hold'em, Omaha and Stud (high-hand games), from the royal flush down to high card.
- You win by showing the best hand or by making everyone else fold. Betting is where the skill is.
- Position matters. Acting after your opponents means you see what they do first. In Hold'em the dealer button marks the best seat.
- Suits are equal. A spade flush does not beat a heart flush. Only the ranks of the cards decide a tie.
Questions
Quick answers
- Which poker game should a beginner learn first?
- Texas Hold'em. It is the game most home games and tournaments use, every player gets only two private cards, and the five shared cards make it easy to see what everyone is working with. Once you are comfortable, Omaha is the natural next step.
- What do I need to know before my first home game?
- The hand rankings, the order of the betting rounds and what the blinds are. That is enough to sit down. Everything else, like pot odds and reading opponents, comes from playing.
- How many people can play at one table?
- Hold'em works from two players up to ten at a standard table. Six to nine is the sweet spot for a home game: enough people for interesting pots, few enough that hands do not drag.
- Is poker mostly luck or skill?
- Any single hand has plenty of luck. Over many hands the player who picks better starting hands, bets sensibly and understands the odds comes out ahead, which is why the same people tend to win week after week.