Lesson 2
Game Flow
How a hand of Texas Hold’em unfolds — from blinds to showdown.
Every hand of Texas Hold’em follows the same four-stage rhythm: Preflop, Flop, Turn, River. Between stages there is a betting round. After the river, players who are still in compare hands at showdown.
The four stages
- Preflop — each player gets two private hole cards, then bets
- Flop — three community cards revealed, then bets
- Turn — fourth community card revealed, then bets
- River — fifth community card revealed, then bets
Tip
You ultimately use the best five-card combination out of your two hole cards plus the five community cards. You can use both, one, or even neither of your hole cards.
Blinds and position
Before any cards are dealt, two players post forced bets called the small blind and the big blind. This guarantees there is always something to fight for. The dealer button rotates each hand, so the blinds rotate too.