Supporting Guide
How to Set Up a Texas Hold'em Game
Quick Answer
You need a standard 52-card deck, chips, a dealer button and two to ten players. Give everyone the same starting stack, deal one card each to decide who gets the button, and have the two players to its left post the small and big blinds. Then deal two cards face down to each player, starting with the small blind.
Table of Contents
What you need
- Cards. One standard 52-card deck with the jokers removed. A second deck with a different back colour lets the next dealer shuffle while the current hand plays.
- Chips. About 50 chips per player in three or four colours is enough.
- A dealer button. Any distinct object works.
- A table where everyone can reach the middle.
- A timer if you are playing a tournament, for the blind levels.
Cash game or tournament
| Cash game | Tournament | |
|---|---|---|
| Chips | Worth their face value | Have no cash value |
| Blinds | Stay the same all night | Go up on a schedule |
| If you lose your chips | You can buy more | You are out, unless rebuys are allowed |
| Ending | Players leave whenever they like | Play continues until one player has all the chips |
A tournament suits a group that wants a fixed cost and a clear winner. A cash game suits a group where people arrive and leave at different times.
Chips and starting stacks
Tournament. A common home setup is 3,000 in chips with blinds starting at 25/50. One way to build that stack:
| Chip value | Chips | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 12 | 300 |
| 100 | 12 | 1,200 |
| 500 | 3 | 1,500 |
| Stack | 27 | 3,000 |
Cash game. Set the blinds first, then let players buy in for up to 100 big blinds. With blinds of 25c/50c, that is a $50 maximum buy-in.
Seats, button and blinds
- Deal one card face up to each player. The highest card gets the button for the first hand.
- The player to the left of the button posts the small blind.
- The next player to the left posts the big blind, usually twice the small blind.
- After each hand, the button moves one seat to the left and the blinds move with it.
With only two players, the button posts the small blind and the other player posts the big blind.
How to deal a hand
- Shuffle, and have the player on your right cut the deck.
- Deal one card at a time, face down, clockwise, starting with the small blind, until everyone has two cards.
- After the first betting round, burn one card face down and deal three cards face up. This is the flop.
- After the next betting round, burn one card and deal one face up. This is the turn.
- After the next betting round, burn one card and deal one face up. This is the river.
- After the final betting round, the remaining players show their cards and the best five-card hand wins.
In a home game the deal usually passes round the table with the button. For what players can do in each round, see how betting works.
A sample blind schedule
For a 3,000-chip tournament with six to nine players, 15 to 20 minute levels give a game of roughly two to three hours.
| Level | Small blind | Big blind |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 50 |
| 2 | 50 | 100 |
| 3 | 75 | 150 |
| 4 | 100 | 200 |
| 5 | 150 | 300 |
| 6 | 200 | 400 |
| 7 | 300 | 600 |
| 8 | 400 | 800 |
| 9 | 500 | 1,000 |
After level 3 the 25 chips are no longer needed. Swap them for 100s at the break.
House rules to agree first
- Whether rebuys are allowed, and until when.
- How the prize money is split in a tournament.
- That verbal bets are binding and string bets are not allowed.
- What happens if a card is exposed during the deal. The usual rule is that an exposed first or second card means a redeal.
- What time the game ends, for a cash game.
The law on playing poker for money at home differs between countries, states and provinces. In many places a private game is treated differently if the host takes a cut of the pots. Check the rules where you live before playing for money.
FAQ
How many chips does each player need for Texas Hold'em?
About 50 chips each is comfortable. For a home tournament, a 3,000 stack made of twelve 25s, twelve 100s and three 500s works well with blinds starting at 25/50.
How many decks do you need?
One standard 52-card deck with no jokers. A second deck speeds the game up but is not required.
Who deals first in Texas Hold'em?
Deal one card face up to each player and give the button to the highest card. In a home game that player deals the first hand, and the deal moves one seat to the left after each hand.
How many people can play?
Two to ten at one table. Six to nine is the most comfortable.
Related Reading
Sources
Dealing procedure follows standard practice as described in Robert's Rules of Poker. The chip breakdown and blind schedule are our own suggested examples for a home game, not an official standard.