How to play Texas Hold'em ♠

What you see

• Your two cards at the bottom, and your chips.
• Three opponents across the top, with their chips and their last move.
• The shared cards in the middle, and the pot.
• The D badge marks the dealer seat. It moves one place to the left every hand.

The blinds: automatic, not a choice

• Before any cards are dealt, the two players to the dealer's left must put in a fixed amount: the small blind (5) and the big blind (10). Nobody chooses the amount; the app puts it in for whoever sits in those seats.
• Blinds exist so there is always something to win. Without them, everyone could wait for great cards and never risk anything.
• The seats rotate, so everyone pays the blinds equally often.
• If you are a blind, those chips count towards your bet. Calling only costs the difference (the small blind needs 5 more to call 10).
• If nobody raises, the big blind already has enough in, so they can check for free.

How a hand goes

1. Blinds go in, and everyone gets two cards.
2. First betting round, starting with the player after the big blind.
3. Flop: three shared cards, then a betting round.
4. Turn: a fourth shared card, then betting.
5. River: the fifth shared card, then the last betting round.
6. Showdown: everyone still in shows their cards. The best five-card hand from their two plus the five shared cards wins the pot.

Your moves

• Fold: give up this hand. You lose what you've already put in, nothing more.
• Check: pass for free. Only possible when nobody has bet in this round.
• Call: match the current bet to stay in.
• Bet / Raise: put in more, so others must match it or fold. The buttons offer fixed sizes (such as half the pot or the whole pot), so you never type an amount.

When a betting round ends

When everyone still in has put in the same amount, or when everyone but one player has folded. That player wins the pot straight away, without showing their cards.

Why it works like this

• Two players put in chips before the cards (the blinds). Without them there would be nothing to win at the start, and everyone could wait for perfect cards for free. The seats rotate so it's fair.
• Betting happens after each new shared card. Each new card changes who is likely to win, so everyone gets a fresh chance to stay in or get out.
• You can fold at any time. Getting out cheaply with a poor hand is how good players keep their chips. Folding isn't losing; staying in with a bad hand is.
• If everyone else folds, you win without showing. This is what makes bluffing possible: a bet can win even when your cards are weak.
• The best five cards count, not all seven. It keeps hands comparable: every final hand is exactly five cards, ranked by the same list.

Common questions

• Can I play with friends? Yes. Press Play with friends to make a room, then send the link. The table has four seats; computer players fill any empty seat, and a friend who arrives later can take one over. Each player has their own coach, which only sees their own cards.
• Can the coach help at a real poker night? Yes, at home games. Press Real table, tap in your two cards and then the shared cards as they are dealt, and tell it how many players are still in, what's in the pot and what it costs you to call. You keep using your own chips; the app doesn't track them. Using it in a casino, a card room or online poker is against the rules.
• Do I choose how much the blind is? No. It's fixed at 5 and 10 and goes in automatically.
• Why did I lose 10 chips before I did anything? You were the big blind that hand.
• Do I have to show my cards? Only at the showdown. If everyone else folds, nobody sees them.
• What if two hands are equal? The pot is split.
• What if I run out of chips? You're given a fresh 1,000 so you can keep learning.

At this table

Four players, 1,000 chips each, blinds 5 and 10. Rosie plays carefully, Dev calls a lot, Mags bets big and bluffs. Use Opponents to make them easier or harder.