Texas Hold’em rules for beginners – how the game works

Texas Hold’em is the most widely played poker variant in the world, and the one you’ll find running at virtually every online poker table – including on 1xBet. The rules are straightforward enough to learn in one sitting, but the game has enough strategic depth that even experienced players are still improving years in. This guide covers everything a complete beginner needs: how hands are dealt, what the betting rounds look like, how the winner is decided, and the terminology you’ll encounter at the table.

The basic setup

A standard Texas Hold’em game uses a single 52-card deck and can accommodate 2 to 10 players at one table. Each player is dealt two private cards (called hole cards) that only they can see. Five community cards are then dealt face-up in the centre of the table over the course of the hand. Every player uses some combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards to make the best possible five-card poker hand.

The player with the best hand at the end of the final betting round wins the pot – the total amount of chips or money wagered during that hand.

The dealer button and blinds

Before any cards are dealt, two players must post forced bets called blinds. These exist to create action – without them, players could simply fold every hand and wait indefinitely for a premium hand.

The dealer button is a small disc (marked “D”) that rotates clockwise around the table after each hand. The player holding the button acts last in most betting rounds, which is a significant positional advantage.

The small blind is posted by the player immediately to the left of the button. It’s typically half the size of the big blind.

The big blind is posted by the player two seats to the left of the button. This is the minimum bet size for the hand.

In a ₹10/₹20 game, the small blind posts ₹10 and the big blind posts ₹20. These amounts go into the pot before any cards are seen.

The deal

Once the blinds are posted, each player receives two hole cards dealt face-down, one at a time, starting with the player to the left of the button. Cards are dealt clockwise. No other player can see these cards – they belong only to the player who received them.

The four betting rounds

Texas Hold’em has four distinct betting rounds. Action moves clockwise around the table in each round. Players have three options on their turn: fold (discard their hand and exit the pot), call (match the current bet), or raise (increase the current bet).

Pre-flop

The first betting round happens immediately after hole cards are dealt. Action starts with the player to the left of the big blind (called “under the gun”) and moves clockwise. The big blind acts last in this round.

Players decide whether to fold, call the big blind amount, or raise based solely on their two hole cards. A player who raises forces all other remaining players to either match that raise or fold.

The big blind has a special option if no one has raised: they can check (decline to bet further but stay in the hand) or raise. This is called the “big blind option.”

The flop

After pre-flop betting concludes, three community cards are dealt face-up in the centre of the table simultaneously. This is the flop. These cards are shared by all remaining players.

A second betting round follows. This time, action starts with the first active player to the left of the dealer button. Players can now check (pass the action without betting, if no one has bet yet) or bet.

At this point, each player can see five cards total: their two hole cards and the three flop cards. Most hands reveal their direction after the flop – a player holding two hearts who sees two more hearts on the flop now has a flush draw, for instance.

The turn

A single fourth community card is dealt face-up. This card is called the turn (or fourth street). Another betting round follows, with the same structure as the flop.

The turn narrows the field further. Players chasing draws are now on their last chance to hit them on the final card.

The river

The fifth and final community card is dealt face-up. This is the river (or fifth street). The last betting round takes place after the river is dealt.

After this betting round concludes, if more than one player remains, the hand goes to showdown.

The showdown

At showdown, remaining players reveal their hole cards. The player who made the last aggressive action (bet or raise) on the river shows first. If no bet was made on the river, the player closest to the left of the dealer button shows first.

Each player makes the best five-card hand using any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards. A player can use both hole cards, one hole card, or in some cases neither (called “playing the board”) if the five community cards make a better hand than anything their hole cards add.

The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. In the event of a tie, the pot is split equally between the tying players.

Poker hand rankings – from best to worst

Knowing which hand beats which is fundamental. Here they are in order from strongest to weakest:

A Royal Flush is the rarest hand in poker – the probability of being dealt one over five cards is roughly 1 in 650,000. Most hands at the micro-stakes level are won with one pair or two pair.

Betting actions in detail

These are the five actions available to players depending on the situation:

Check – Pass the action to the next player without betting. Only available when no one has bet in the current round. If a player bets after a check, the checking player must call, raise, or fold.

Bet – Place chips into the pot. The first wager in a betting round. All subsequent players must call, raise, or fold.

Call – Match the current bet exactly. Allows the player to stay in the hand.

Raise – Increase the current bet. All subsequent players must now call the raise amount, re-raise, or fold. In no-limit Hold’em, a raise must be at least equal to the previous bet or raise size.

Fold – Discard the hand face-down and exit the pot. A folded player forfeits any chips already wagered that round but risks nothing further.

No-limit, pot-limit and fixed-limit

The betting structure determines how much players can bet or raise. Most online poker, including the tables on 1xBet, uses no-limit rules.

No-limit Texas Hold’em: Players can bet any amount up to their entire stack at any point. This is the most common format and the one used in most major tournaments including the World Series of Poker Main Event.

Pot-limit Texas Hold’em: Maximum bet is the current size of the pot. Less common than no-limit.

Fixed-limit Texas Hold’em: Bets and raises are fixed at set amounts. The pre-flop and flop betting uses a smaller bet size; the turn and river use a larger bet size (usually double). Rarely seen online.

When the 1xBet poker lobby shows a table listed as “$0.01/$0.02 NL Hold’em”, NL stands for no-limit, and the two figures are the small blind and big blind amounts.

The blind structure and stack sizes

Understanding the relationship between blinds and stack sizes helps beginners choose the right table.

At a $0.01/$0.02 table (the lowest stakes on 1xBet), a standard buy-in is 100 big blinds = $2.00 (approximately ₹170). This is called a full-stack buy-in. Most cash game players buy in for 100 big blinds because it maximises the strategic options available.

Some players buy in for less (short stack), which simplifies decisions but limits profitability. Buying in for the maximum available is generally recommended for beginners to avoid being disadvantaged relative to other players at the table.

A sample hand from start to finish

Here’s a complete hand at a $0.01/$0.02 table with four players:

• Small blind posts $0.01, big blind posts $0.02
• Cards are dealt. Player 3 receives A-K. Player 4 receives 7-7.
• Pre-flop: Players 1 and 2 fold. Player 3 raises to $0.06. Big blind folds. Player 4 calls. Pot: $0.14.
• Flop: K-7-2 is dealt. Player 3 has top pair (pair of kings with ace kicker). Player 4 has three of a kind (set of sevens).
• Player 3 bets $0.10. Player 4 raises to $0.30. Player 3 calls. Pot: $0.74.
• Turn: 9 is dealt. Player 3 checks. Player 4 bets $0.40. Player 3 calls. Pot: $1.54.
• River: 2 is dealt. Player 3 checks. Player 4 bets $0.70. Player 3 calls.
• Showdown: Player 4 shows 7-7 (full house, sevens full of twos). Player 4 wins the pot of $2.94.

Player 3 had a strong hand – top pair with the best kicker – but was beaten by a disguised set. This kind of situation is why poker is interesting: both players played reasonably, but the stronger hand won.

Common beginner mistakes

Playing too many hands. Beginners tend to play any hand that looks vaguely interesting. In practice, folding is correct the majority of the time pre-flop, especially from early positions. A tight range of starting hands wins more over time than playing every hand.

Not paying attention to position. Acting last in a betting round is a major advantage – you see what everyone else does before deciding. Hands that are profitable from the dealer button may be losing hands from under the gun (first to act pre-flop).

Chasing draws without the right odds. If a player needs one specific card to make a flush but the pot doesn’t offer enough reward relative to the likelihood of hitting it, calling is a losing play over time. Learning basic pot odds is the next step after understanding the rules. This is covered in detail in our poker odds guide.

Betting the same amount regardless of hand strength. Experienced players will quickly identify patterns if a player always bets big with strong hands and small with weak ones. Bet sizing should be consistent regardless of hand strength – the goal is to make the decision difficult for the opponent, not signal your own hand strength.

Playing Texas Hold’em on 1xBet

Once the rules are clear, the practical next step is finding a table. The 1xBet poker section has two rooms: Legion Poker (browser-based, no download) and the main poker room (downloadable client). Both offer Texas Hold’em cash games.

For absolute beginners, the daily freerolls in Legion Poker are the lowest-risk starting point – free entry, real cash prizes, no deposit required. Cash game tables start at $0.01/$0.02 blinds, accessible with a ₹300 minimum deposit via UPI or Paytm.

The 1xBet app provides access to both rooms on Android and iOS, making it possible to play from any location without needing a desktop browser.

Frequently asked questions

How many cards does each player get in Texas Hold’em?

Each player receives two private hole cards. Five community cards are dealt face-up on the table and shared by all players. The best five-card hand using any combination of the seven available cards wins.

What happens if two players have the same hand?

The pot is split equally between them. If the five community cards make a stronger hand than either player’s hole cards add to, all remaining players split the pot – this is called playing the board.

Can I fold at any time in Texas Hold’em?

Yes. A player can fold on their turn at any point in the hand. Folding forfeits the current pot but prevents any further loss on that hand.

What does “no-limit” mean?

In no-limit Texas Hold’em, there is no maximum bet size. A player can bet their entire chip stack at any point – this is called going all-in. Most online poker, including 1xBet, uses no-limit rules.

How is the winner decided if there is no showdown?

If all players except one fold during the hand, the last remaining player wins the pot without needing to show their cards. This can happen at any point during the four betting rounds.

What is a “kicker” in poker?

When two players have the same hand rank (e.g., both have a pair of kings), the kicker – the highest unmatched card – determines the winner. A player with K-K-A beats a player with K-K-Q because the ace kicker outranks the queen.

Summary

Texas Hold’em comes down to two private cards, five shared community cards, four betting rounds, and the best five-card hand wins. The rules take around 15 minutes to understand; developing feel for the game takes longer. Starting with freerolls or the lowest-stakes cash tables is the practical way to move from reading about the game to playing it. The next step after understanding the rules is learning hand rankings in more depth and how betting position affects decision-making – both covered in the other guides in this series.