Supporting Guide
How Betting Works in Texas Hold'em
Quick Answer
On your turn you can check, bet, call, raise or fold. Before the flop the action starts to the left of the big blind; on every later round it starts with the first active player to the left of the button. A round ends when everyone still in the hand has put in the same amount or folded. In no-limit, the smallest bet is one big blind and a raise must be at least as big as the bet or raise before it.
Table of Contents
The five actions
| Action | What it means | When you can do it |
|---|---|---|
| Check | Pass the action without putting chips in. | Only when nobody has bet in this round. |
| Bet | Put the first chips into the pot in this round. | Only when nobody has bet in this round. |
| Call | Match the current bet. | When someone has bet or raised. |
| Raise | Increase the current bet. | When someone has bet or raised. |
| Fold | Give up your cards and any claim on the pot. | Any time it is your turn. |
Before the flop the big blind counts as a bet, so nobody can check until the action gets back to the big blind. If nobody has raised by then, the big blind may check or raise. This is called the big blind's option.
Who acts first
Action always moves clockwise. Where it starts depends on the round:
- Pre-flop: the player to the left of the big blind acts first. The small blind and big blind act last.
- Flop, turn and river: the first player still in the hand to the left of the button acts first. The button acts last.
Acting last is an advantage because you see what everyone else does before you decide. See poker positions explained for how this changes which hands you play.
The four betting rounds
| Round | Cards on the table | First to act |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-flop | None. Each player has two hole cards. | Left of the big blind |
| Flop | Three community cards | First active player left of the button |
| Turn | Four community cards | First active player left of the button |
| River | Five community cards | First active player left of the button |
Each round ends when every player still in the hand has put in the same amount, or everyone has checked. If only one player is left because the others folded, that player wins the pot without a showdown.
Minimum bets and raises
These are the standard no-limit rules. The examples use $1/$2 blinds.
- Minimum bet: one big blind. On the flop, turn or river the smallest bet is $2.
- Minimum raise: the raise must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise. Pre-flop, the big blind is $2, so the smallest raise is to $4.
- Minimum re-raise: if a player raises from $2 to $6, that is a raise of $4. The next raise must be at least $4 more, so to $10 or higher.
- Maximum bet: all the chips you have on the table. You cannot add chips from your pocket in the middle of a hand.
A three-bet is the second raise in a round: the big blind is the first bet, the first raise is the second, and the re-raise is the third.
All-ins and side pots
If you do not have enough chips to call, you can go all-in for what you have. You can only win from each opponent the amount you put in yourself. Any extra betting between the other players goes into a side pot that you cannot win.
Example: Ann has $50, Ben and Cara have $200 each. Ann goes all-in for $50 and both call. The main pot is $150, and all three can win it. Ben then bets $100 on the flop and Cara calls. That $200 is a side pot between Ben and Cara only. At showdown the side pot goes to the better hand between Ben and Cara, and the main pot goes to the best hand of all three.
One more rule: an all-in that is smaller than a full raise does not reopen the betting for a player who has already acted and is facing less than a full raise. They can call or fold, but not raise again.
No-limit, pot-limit and fixed-limit
| Structure | Biggest bet allowed | Example |
|---|---|---|
| No-limit | Your whole stack, at any time | With $180 in front of you, you can bet anything from the minimum up to $180. |
| Pot-limit | The size of the pot after you call | The pot is $10 and a player bets $5. You call $5, which makes the pot $20, then raise $20. Your total is $25. |
| Fixed-limit | A set amount each round | In a $2/$4 game, bets and raises are $2 pre-flop and on the flop, and $4 on the turn and river. Most rooms cap each round at one bet and three raises. |
Most Hold'em played today, live and online, is no-limit.
Betting rules that catch beginners
- Verbal declarations are binding. If you say "raise" or name an amount when it is your turn, you are held to it.
- No string bets. Put your raise in with one motion or announce the amount first. Putting out calling chips and then reaching back for more is ruled a call.
- One oversized chip is a call. If you throw in a single large chip without saying "raise", it counts as a call.
- Act in turn. Folding or betting before your turn gives other players information they should not have.
- Keep your big chips visible. Opponents are entitled to see roughly how much you have.
FAQ
What is the minimum bet in Texas Hold'em?
In no-limit and pot-limit Hold'em the minimum bet is the size of the big blind. In fixed-limit the bet size is set for each round.
What is the minimum raise?
A raise must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise in that round. If the bet is $10, the smallest raise is to $20. If that is raised to $50, the next raise must be to at least $80.
Can you check-raise in Texas Hold'em?
Yes. Checking and then raising after an opponent bets is legal in standard rules and in almost every cardroom. Some home games ban it, so ask first.
What happens if two players go all-in with different stacks?
The player with fewer chips can only win the amount they matched from each opponent. The rest goes into a side pot contested by the players who still have chips.
Related Reading
Sources
Betting procedures follow the standard rules used in cardrooms and tournaments, as set out in Robert's Rules of Poker and the Poker Tournament Directors Association rules. House rules vary, so the room's own rulebook has the final say.
Put Hold'em theory into practice
Black Chip Poker offers regular no-limit Hold'em ring games and tournaments on the Winning Poker Network, with stakes for first-timers and grinders alike.
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