1.Understand the Hand Rankings: Familiarize yourself with the different poker hands and their rankings. The standard hand rankings from highest to lowest are:
- Royal Flush
- Straight Flush
- Four of a Kind
- Full House
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a Kind
- Two Pair
- One Pair
- High Card
2.Setup: Gather players around a table with a standard deck of 52 playing cards. Determine who will be the dealer for the first hand. In casual games, players often take turns being the dealer, rotating clockwise around the table.
3.Blinds: Before the cards are dealt, the two players to the left of the dealer post the small blind and big blind, respectively. Blinds are forced bets that initiate the action and ensure there’s always something to play for in each hand.
4.Deal Cards: The dealer shuffles the deck and deals two cards face down to each player, starting with the player to their left and moving clockwise around the table. These two cards are known as hole cards or pocket cards.
5.Betting Round 1 (Pre-Flop): Starting with the player to the left of the big blind, each player has the option to fold, call (match the big blind), or raise. Betting continues clockwise around the table until all players have acted.
6.The Flop: After the first betting round is complete, the dealer deals three community cards face up in the center of the table. These cards are called the flop.
7.Betting Round 2 (Post-Flop): Another round of betting takes place, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. Players can check (pass the action to the next player), bet, raise, or fold.
8.The Turn: After the second betting round, the dealer places a fourth community card face up on the table. This card is called the turn or fourth street.
9.Betting Round 3 (Post-Turn): Another round of betting takes place, following the same rules as the previous rounds.
10.The River: Following the third betting round, the dealer places the fifth and final community card face up on the table. This card is called the river or fifth street.
11.Final Betting Round: A final round of betting occurs, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
12.Showdown: If there are two or more players remaining after the final betting round, a showdown occurs. Players reveal their hole cards, and the player with the best five-card poker hand using any combination of their hole cards and the community cards wins the pot.
13.Awarding the Pot: The player with the best hand takes the pot. If there’s a tie, the pot is split evenly among the tied players.
14.Next Hand: The dealer button moves clockwise to the next player, and a new hand begins.
