Texas Hold’em rules

Win chips. You do it in one of two ways: by having the best five-card hand at the showdown, or by betting so that everyone else folds before it.

A round marker, the dealer button, moves one seat to the left after every hand. The two players to its left post forced bets before the cards are dealt: the small blind and the big blind (twice as big). The blinds make sure there is always something to play for.

When only two players are left, the button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop.

1. Preflop. Everyone gets two cards face down. Betting starts with the player to the left of the big blind.
2. Flop. Three community cards are turned face up in the middle. Another round of betting, starting with the first active player to the left of the button.
3. Turn. A fourth community card, and a round of betting.
4. River. The fifth and last community card, and the final round of betting.

In No-Limit Hold’em you can bet any amount up to all your chips at any moment. A raise must be at least as big as the previous bet or raise in the same round, and never smaller than the big blind.

If you go all-in with fewer chips than the others are betting, you can only win from each opponent as much as you put in. The extra chips the others keep betting form a side pot, which only they can win.

If two or more players are still in after the last round of betting, they show their cards. Each player makes the best five-card hand from their two cards and the five on the board — see the hand rankings. The best hand takes the pot; identical hands split it.

• You have 15 seconds per move at normal speed and 8 seconds at turbo. When time runs out you check if you can, otherwise you fold.
• Miss three turns in a row and the table sets you as “stepped away” until you return.
• Buy in with 10 to 200 big blinds and top up between hands.
• The dealer, blinds, side pots and splits are handled automatically, and the winning hand is named on the table.