Texas Hold'em

Players

2–10 players

Equipment

Standard 52-card deck. Each player starts with 1,000 chips. Starting blinds: Small Blind 10, Big Blind 20. Blinds double every 5 hands (10/20 → 20/40 → 40/80 → 80/160 → 160/320 → 320/640).

Setup

A dealer button rotates clockwise each hand. The two players to the dealer's left post the small blind and big blind. Each player is dealt 2 face-down hole cards.

In heads-up (2-player) games, the dealer posts the small blind and acts first pre-flop.

Gameplay

Betting Rounds

Each hand has up to four betting rounds. On your turn you may:

• Check — pass the action (only if no bet to you)
• Call — match the current bet
• Raise — increase the bet (minimum raise = size of the last raise or the big blind, whichever is larger)
• Fold — discard your hand and forfeit the pot
• All-In — bet all your remaining chips

Pre-Flop

After the blinds are posted, the player to the left of the big blind acts first. Betting proceeds clockwise.

Flop

Three community cards are dealt face-up. The first active player to the left of the dealer acts first.

Turn

A fourth community card is dealt. Another round of betting.

River

A fifth and final community card is dealt. Final round of betting.

Showdown

If two or more players remain after the final betting round, hands are revealed. The best 5-card hand using any combination of the 7 available cards (2 hole cards + 5 community cards) wins.

Hand Rankings (highest to lowest)

1. Royal Flush — A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit
2. Straight Flush — Five sequential cards of the same suit
3. Four of a Kind — Four cards of the same rank
4. Full House — Three of a kind plus a pair
5. Flush — Five cards of the same suit
6. Straight — Five sequential cards (Ace can be high or low: A-K-Q-J-10 or A-2-3-4-5)
7. Three of a Kind — Three cards of the same rank
8. Two Pair — Two different pairs
9. One Pair — Two cards of the same rank
10. High Card — Highest card when no other hand is made

Ties are broken by kickers (remaining cards in descending order).

Side Pots

When a player goes all-in for less than the current bet, a side pot is created. The all-in player can only win the main pot. Additional betting goes into the side pot, which only players who contributed to it can win.

Winning

The last player remaining with chips wins the tournament.