The poker rules below are the common core of the game. Master them once and you can sit down at almost any table: the differences between variants mostly come down to how the cards are dealt, not how betting or hand strength work.
The object of the game
You win a hand of poker in one of two ways: by having the best five-card hand when the cards are revealed at showdown, or by betting so that every other player folds first. Because the second route exists, poker rewards betting skill and reading opponents, not just the luck of the deal.
Betting: the heart of the rules
Play proceeds clockwise. On your turn you have a fixed set of actions:
- Check: decline to bet while keeping your hand (only when no one has bet this round).
- Bet: put chips into the pot when no one else has yet.
- Call: match the current bet to stay in.
- Raise: increase the current bet; others must match the new amount, re-raise, or fold.
- Fold: surrender your hand and give up any chips already committed.
A betting round ends when every player still in the hand has put in the same amount or folded. Most games play several betting rounds per hand.
Hand rankings
Nearly all poker games use the same hand rankings: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card, from strongest to weakest. When two players share a category, the higher cards (the kickers) break the tie. If you only memorise one thing about the poker rules, make it this order.
Blinds, antes and the button
To make sure there's always money to play for, most modern games use forced bets. In Hold'em and Omaha the two players left of the dealer button post a small blind and big blind; some games and later tournament levels add an ante from every player. The button rotates each hand so these costs are shared fairly.
Table etiquette
A few unwritten poker rules keep games running smoothly, online and live: act only when it's your turn, don't reveal a folded hand while others are still playing, keep your cards and chips visible, and be clear about whether you're calling or raising. Online rooms enforce most of this automatically, but the habits matter as you move up.
Common poker variants at a glance
The rules above carry across the whole family of poker games. What mainly changes is how you receive your cards:
- Texas Hold'em. Two private cards plus five shared community cards. By far the most popular variant and the best place to start: see our Texas Hold'em rules.
- Omaha. Four private cards, of which you must use exactly two, plus five community cards. Bigger hands and bigger swings than Hold'em.
- Seven-Card Stud. No community cards: each player gets a mix of face-up and face-down cards dealt over several rounds. The classic game before Hold'em took over.
- Five-Card Draw. Each player is dealt five cards and may swap some for new ones. Simple, and a good way to practise reading hand strength.
Because the betting, the actions and the hand rankings stay the same across all of them, learning one variant well makes every other one quick to pick up.
Betting limits: No-Limit, Pot-Limit and Fixed-Limit
Beyond the actions themselves, every game sets a cap on how much you can bet or raise. The same hand plays very differently depending on which of these three limits is in force.
- No-Limit. You can bet any amount up to all the chips in front of you, at any time. In a $1/$2 game you could open for $6 or shove your whole $200 stack on the first round. That freedom is why No-Limit Hold'em is the tournament standard.
- Pot-Limit. The most you can bet or raise is the current size of the pot. If the pot holds $30, your maximum bet is $30; if you're facing a bet, you first add your call to the pot before working out the cap. Pot-Limit Omaha is the classic example.
- Fixed-Limit. Bets and raises come in set increments. In a $2/$4 game every bet on the early rounds is exactly $2 and every bet on the later rounds is exactly $4, usually with a cap of four raises per round. Smaller swings, more disciplined play.
Table stakes, all-in and side pots
Almost all poker today is played under the table stakes rule: you can only wager the chips you have on the table when the hand begins. You can't reach for more mid-hand, and no one can force you off a hand just because they have a deeper stack.
When you can't cover a bet, you go all-in for what you have, and the extra chips from the other players form a side pot you aren't eligible to win.
A worked example
Three players see a big pot. Player A has $20, Player B and Player C each have $100. Everyone commits everything. Player A can only match $20 from each opponent, so the main pot is $60 ($20 × 3) and Player A can win only that. The remaining $80 each from B and C ($160) goes into a side pot that only B and C can win. If Player A has the best hand, A takes the $60 main pot and the side pot goes to whichever of B or C is stronger.
Showdown: who shows first
When the last betting round ends with two or more players left, someone has to reveal their cards first. The rule is simple once you know it, and it decides nothing about who wins, only the order of showing.
- If there was a bet on the final round, the last player to bet or raise (the last aggressor) shows first. Whoever called then chooses to show or muck.
- If the final round was checked around, the first active player to the left of the button shows first, and play continues clockwise.
The best five-card hand wins the pot regardless of who shows when, so revealing order is procedure, not advantage. For the full sequence of a hand, see our Texas Hold'em rules.
Common rule misunderstandings
A handful of rules trip up new players again and again. Knowing them saves you money and awkward moments at the table:
- String bets. You must put your full bet or raise in with one motion, or state the amount out loud first. Reaching back to your stack for more chips after your hand has settled is a string bet and only the first amount counts.
- Acting out of turn. Betting or folding before it's your turn gives away information and can be binding once the action reaches you. Wait for the player on your right to act.
- The one-chip rule. When you're facing a bet and put in a single larger-value chip without saying “raise”, it counts as a call, not a raise. Announce your intention if you mean to raise.
- Cards speak at showdown. Your hand is worth exactly what the cards show, even if you misread it out loud. The dealer reads the board and awards the pot to the best five cards.
From rules to winning play
Knowing the poker rules keeps you from making mistakes; strategy is what makes you money. When you're ready for that step, the pot odds calculator turns tough calls into simple math, the odds calculator shows your equity, and our best poker sites ranking helps you find a game at the right stakes.