Understand the objective: make the best 5-card hand using 2 hole cards plus 5 community cards
Set up the game: choose dealer button, shuffle, deal 2 hole cards to each player
Post blinds: small blind and big blind place forced bets
Pre-flop: starting with the player left of the big blind, take actions (fold, call, raise, check if no bet to call)
Flop: deal 3 community cards face up; start betting with the first active player left of the dealer button
Turn: deal 1 community card; start betting again
River: deal 1 final community card; start betting again
Showdown: if more than one player remains, reveal hole cards; use best 5-card hand from hole + community
Determine the winner: highest-ranking hand wins pot; if tied, split pot
Know hand rankings (highest to lowest):
Royal Flush
Straight Flush
Four of a Kind
Full House
Flush
Straight
Three of a Kind
Two Pair
One Pair
High Card
Track betting structure: follow your table’s limit type (No-Limit, Pot-Limit, or Fixed-Limit) and betting rules
Follow turn order rules: betting always proceeds clockwise from the required first player each round
Use side pots if needed: if players go all-in for different amounts, create separate pots for eligible players
Be aware of special cases:
Folded players do not participate in showdown
If all but one player folds, remaining player wins the pot without a showdown