To play poker, each player is dealt cards, everyone takes turns to check, bet, call, raise or fold, and the player with the best five card hand at the showdown, or the last player left in, wins the pot. You need a standard 52 card deck, a pile of chips or counters and two to ten players, and most beginners start with Texas Hold'em.
Poker looks complicated from the outside because there are hundreds of versions. The good news is that they all share the same skeleton. Once you understand the betting and the hand order, you can sit down at almost any table. Here's how I'd explain it to a family or a team learning together for the first time.
What you need before the first deal
- One standard deck of 52 cards. Bicycle notes that clubs often use two decks of contrasting colours, so one is shuffled while the other is dealt.
- Chips or counters. For seven or more players, Bicycle suggests a supply of at least 200 chips, with white as the lowest unit, red worth five whites and blue worth more.
- One person as banker, who hands out the chips and keeps a note of who has what.
- An agreed finish time, so the game ends on a happy note.
Antes, blinds and the pot
Every deal needs something in the middle to play for, so the game starts with forced bets. In draw and stud games this is usually an ante, a small contribution every player makes before the cards come out. In Texas Hold'em the two players to the left of the dealer post blinds instead: a small blind, then a big blind that's usually twice as big. Everything that goes in during the deal forms the pot.
Your options when it's your turn
Play always moves to the left, and nobody acts out of turn. On each turn you'll have up to five choices, and which ones you've got depends on what has happened before you in that round.
| Action | What you do | When you can do it |
|---|---|---|
| Check | Stay in without adding chips | Only if nobody has bet yet this round |
| Bet | Put chips in first | Only if nobody has bet yet this round |
| Call | Match the current bet | After someone has bet |
| Raise | Match the bet and add more | After someone has bet |
| Fold | Throw your cards away and drop out of this deal | Any time it's your turn |
A betting round ends when everyone still in has put in the same amount, or when everyone checks. If you fold, you lose whatever you've already put in.
How one deal plays out
- Everyone puts in the ante or the blinds.
- The dealer shuffles, offers the cut and deals the cards for the game you've chosen.
- The first betting round starts with the player named by the rules and moves left.
- More cards arrive, either drawn, dealt face up or shared in the middle, with a betting round after each stage.
- After the last round, everyone still in shows their cards at the showdown.
- The best five card hand takes the pot, and identical hands split it.
- The deal passes one seat to the left and you start again.
There's one twist that makes poker poker. Bicycle points out that if you bet or raise and nobody calls, you win the pot without showing your cards. That's why bluffing works, and why the best hand doesn't always win.
The hands in brief
From the top: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card. Suits are all equal, and kickers break ties between hands of the same type. The full chart with an example of every hand and the tie rules has its own page on this site, so I won't repeat it here.
Draw, stud and community card games
- Draw poker: all your cards are dealt face down and you can swap some for new ones.
- Stud poker: some of your cards are dealt face up as the betting goes on, so others can see part of your hand.
- Community card poker: you get a few private cards and share face up cards in the middle. Texas Hold'em and Omaha are the famous ones.
Bicycle's advice on picking a game by group size is worth following:
| Players | Suggested game |
|---|---|
| 2 to 4 | Stud poker in any form |
| 5 to 8 | Any form, draw or stud |
| 9 or 10 | Five card stud |
| More than 10 | A game with fewer than five cards each, or split into two tables |
House rules worth agreeing at the start
Bicycle says any group can make its own house rules, and they should be written down. These are the ones I'd settle before anyone looks at a card:
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- A limit on raises. Bicycle says almost every game today allows three raises per betting round.
- Whether checking and then raising, known as sandbagging, is allowed. It is under the standard rules unless you ban it.
- Which cards, if any, are wild. Purists play with none.
- A betting limit, such as a fixed limit or pot limit, so one big stack can't push everyone around.
- A time limit. Call three more deals when the end is near so nobody's caught out.
My beginner advice
Start with Texas Hold'em and the hand chart printed out. Fold a lot in your first few games, because most beginners play too many hands. Watch what other people do when they bet big. And keep it friendly: use chips, matchsticks or sweets, never anything anyone would miss, and stop when the agreed time comes. If you want a gentler card night for younger players, these games for two with a single deck need no betting, and you'll find more ideas in my guide to family game night picks by age.
Frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for poker?
You can play with two, but most games work best with five to eight. Bicycle suggests five card stud for nine or ten players.
What is the easiest poker game for beginners?
Texas Hold'em is the one most people learn first, because you only get two private cards and the rest are shared.
What does check mean in poker?
Check means you stay in without adding chips. You can only check if nobody has bet before you in that round.
Can you win poker without the best hand?
Yes. If you bet or raise and nobody calls, you win the pot without showing your cards.
Do you need chips to play poker?
No, but it helps. Counters, matchsticks or sweets all work for a home game.
