[A Beginner's Guide to Poker] A thorough explanation of the rules of poker!

What is Texas Hold'em?

Poker, especially Texas Hold’em, is one of the most popular card games in the world, played by over 100 million people.

In the United States, it’s recognized as an intellectual sport, with world championships offering over one billion yen in prize money, fueling its global popularity.
Learn the rules of poker and enjoy playing.

Overview of the Game

How to Play

Number of Players	Cards Used
2–10 players	52 cards excluding jokers

Objective

The goal of poker is for players to compete for chips.
The chips wagered by each player are collected in the pot.
To win the pot, you must either:

• Win by the strength of your hand
• Make everyone else fold by betting your chips

Poker hands are formed using two personal cards and a total of seven community cards, from which you use five.

For a list of hand strengths, click here:

General Flow of the Game

Texas Hold’em consists of four betting rounds.
A game refers to a single battle where players compete for chips using two dealt cards and community cards.
Betting rounds are when players bet in turn.

Flow of Betting Rounds

During the game, players have opportunities to bet, with different names for each betting round depending on the number of community cards revealed.
Chips bet in each round are collected in the pot.

Actions Available to Players

The actions available to players are summarized in the table below.

Action Name	Description
Raise	Betting a higher amount than what the opponent has wagered
Call	Agreeing to play with the amount wagered by the opponent
Fold	Giving up the game
Bet	Proposing a wager with a chosen amount of chips
Check	Passing the turn without paying additional chips

Flow of the Game

Taking Seats and Determining the Dealer Button

Firstly, players take their seats. Next, the dealer button is determined. It’s different from the card dealer, so it’s commonly referred to as the “button (BTN).”

Player Positioning and Blinds

Let’s explain the flow of the game.

First, two cards are dealt to each player. The dealing order starts from the small blind, moving clockwise.
The player positions are as follows:

Initially, the small blind and big blind players place their predetermined blinds.

In this example, the small blind puts in 100 and the big blind 200. The big blind is usually twice the small blind. These blinds vary depending on the table rate.

Pre-Flop

Pre-flop is when two cards are dealt and no community cards are visible.

The first action in pre-flop starts with UTG, moving clockwise.
Suppose you are UTG and receive the following cards:

Based on these two cards and your position, you decide whether to participate in the game. ※Refer to this article to decide whether to participate or not:

Being UTG, you act first.
Your options are:

• Raise
• Call
• Fold

If you choose not to participate, select ”Fold”. If you “Fold”, you cannot win the pot and lose any chips you’ve bet so far. If you decide to participate, you either “Call” or “Raise”. Let’s assume you choose to “Raise”. Then, the BTN player calls, and the other players fold.

When everyone else either “Calls” or “Folds” to the last raise, the game moves to the next round. If everyone “Folds”, the game ends, and the remaining player wins the pot.

In other words, the round progresses when all players agree on the wager.

Next, the first three community cards are revealed.

Flop

Flop is when three community cards are revealed.

The community cards ❤5❤6♦6 are revealed. Actions proceed clockwise from the SB.
※Action starts from UTG in pre-flop, and from SB in post-flop.
The first player to act can choose between:

• Check
• Bet

※If you can “Check”, do not “Fold” just because your hand is weak. Your hand might strengthen with future community cards, and the opponent’s hand might be weaker than yours. Always “Check” to pass your turn.

If a player before you chooses to “Bet”, your options become “Fold”, “Call”, or “Raise”. Again, the round continues until everyone “Calls” or “Folds” to the last “Bet” or “Raise”.

Let’s say you (UTG) bet, and the opponent (BTN) chooses to call, moving the game to the next round.

Turn

Turn is when four community cards are revealed.

In the next round, another community card is revealed.
The same procedure as the flop follows. This time the card revealed is ”♠K“.
In this round, no bets are made, and both players check.

River

River is when all five community cards are revealed.

Next, the final community card is revealed. This time, it’s ’♦9’. This is the last round.

Let’s say in this round you bet, and your opponent calls.

Showdown

Showdown is the process of revealing each other’s hands.

After the final betting round concludes, players reveal their hands in a showdown, determining the winner based on the strength of the hands. The order of showing cards starts with the player who made the last “bet” or “raise” in the final round and proceeds clockwise. If the last action was a “check,” the showing starts from the small blind and goes clockwise.

In this instance, since you were the last to bet, you show your hand first.

Your hand is a two-pair of Qs and 6s, and your opponent’s hand is a two-pair of 9s and 6s. Since Q is stronger than 9, you win this round and claim the pot.

Summary

This is the flow of one round of Texas Hold’em.

Even if your initial two cards in pre-flop are strong, you can still lose depending on the five community cards. Conversely, you can win the game by convincing your opponents to fold, even with a weak hand.

In other words, the game is not just about making a strong hand but also about winning at showdown or making your opponent fold.

Playing poker may seem heavily reliant on luck, but it’s an intellectual sport where skill, knowledge, and experience significantly influence the outcome.

Welcome to the world of Texas Hold’em. After reading this, why not try the quiz (top right)?