Poker
Texas Hold'em hands
Texas hold'em hands are the two private hole cards dealt to a player at the start of a hand. They combine with the five community cards to make the best possible five-card poker hand.
Key points
- Each player receives two hidden hole cards, then uses any combination of those two and the five community cards to form the strongest five-card hand.14
- Betting occurs before the flop and after each later deal; the best hand among active players wins the pot.14
- Texas hold'em hand rankings follow the standard poker hierarchy: high card, pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush.35
- The term 'starting hand' refers to the two hole cards before any community cards are revealed.12
How to play Texas hold'em hands
- Each player is dealt two hole cards face down. These are your private Texas hold'em hands.
- After the first betting round, three community cards (the flop) are dealt face up.
- A second betting round follows, then a fourth community card (the turn) is dealt.
- After another betting round, the fifth community card (the river) is dealt.
- A final betting round leads to showdown: players use any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards to make the best five-card hand. The highest-ranking hand wins the pot.
Texas hold'em hand rankings
| Rank | Hand | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ |
| 2 | Straight flush | 9♣ 8♣ 7♣ 6♣ 5♣ |
| 3 | Four of a kind | 7♥ 7♦ 7♣ 7♠ 2♠ |
| 4 | Full house | K♠ K♦ K♣ 5♥ 5♣ |
| 5 | Flush | A♠ Q♠ 9♠ 6♠ 3♠ |
| 6 | Straight | 10♣ 9♦ 8♥ 7♠ 6♣ |
| 7 | Three of a kind | J♠ J♦ J♣ 4♥ 2♠ |
| 8 | Two pair | A♠ A♦ 8♣ 8♥ 3♠ |
| 9 | One pair | Q♠ Q♦ 10♣ 7♥ 4♠ |
| 10 | High card | A♠ K♦ 9♣ 6♥ 2♠ |
Common questions
How to play texas hold'em hands?
Each player is dealt two private hole cards. Over four betting rounds, five community cards are revealed. At showdown, you make the best five-card hand from any combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards. The highest-ranking hand wins the pot.
Where this term is used
Not the same as
- Texas holdem rules — the general rule set for play, betting, and showdown, not the cards themselves
- Texas hold em dealing rules — the dealing procedure; Texas hold'em hands are the cards dealt and used, not the dealing sequence
Related terms
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Poker starting hands chart
A chart ranking the strength of all 169 possible Texas hold'em starting hands.
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Texas Hold'em card values
Explains the rank and suit values of individual cards in Texas hold'em.
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Omaha poker hands
How hands work in Omaha, where players use exactly two of four hole cards.
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Poker hands probability
The odds of being dealt each type of poker hand in five-card games.
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Poker hands quads
A guide to four of a kind (quads), its ranking, and how to play it.
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5 card poker hands
The standard five-card poker hand rankings used in most poker variants.
Sources
- Texas hold 'em - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Provides the basic rules and structure of Texas hold'em hands.
- Texas hold 'em starting hands - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Defines starting hands and hole cards in Texas hold'em.
- List of poker hands - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Lists the standard poker hand rankings used in Texas hold'em.
- Texas Hold'em Poker - card game rules - Pagat pagat.com Confirms the rules for forming hands from hole and community cards.
- Ranking of Poker Hands pagat.com Provides the official ranking of poker hands.
Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.