Countless people start playing poker each year, which means they also must learn the rules and figure out how to organize and execute games. Whether you start with cash games, tournaments or home friendlies, one of the most vital parts of establishing Texas Hold'em game play is learning how to deal the cards.
This guide will explain everything you need to know about how to deal, giving you a better understanding of poker and helping you learn how to host games yourself. We will also explain the game in detail below, for those who want a more thorough explanation of the basics.
Texas Hold'em Poker Guide: How to play, rules, structure, betting & hand rankings
Quick Guide to Poker: Texas Hold'em explained
Before we dive into how to deal a game of poker, let's first explain the game of Texas Hold'em itself.
Hold'em is a poker game that can be played between two and 14 players, but the average table size is usually 6-9 people. It's a game in which players use a combination of their two private, personal cards — or "hole cards" — and the five community cards dealt face up on the table ("the board").
The object of the game is to make the best possible five-card hand between hole cards and the board, and to accrue more "chips" (poker tokens, often worth real money) throughout the game.
Now, let's talk about how to deal the game.
How to shuffle the cards in poker
The first thing you need to learn in order to deal is how to shuffle. Shuffling means to quickly and efficiently mix up a 52-card deck so the cards from the previous game or hand are shuffled up.
You don't want the same cards coming out on the board hand after hand, nor do you want your opponents knowing which cards you're holding. Shuffling well ensures a level of unpredictability throughout your games, leveling the playing field for everyone at the table.
But, how do you shuffle? Here's a simple step-by-step explainer on how to become a good "riffle" shuffler in short order.
How to hold the deck
Hold the deck with:
- your thumb on one of the short ends,
- your pinky, ring, and middle finger on the other short end
- your index finger curled in the middle so that the knuckle is pushing down on it
Hold the deck in your secondary hand. If you're right-handed, hold it in your left. If you're a lefty, hold it in your right hand.
How to split the deck
Splitting the deck is just taking the deck and splitting it in half, at least approximately.
To split the deck, apply pressure with your thumb and pinky-middle fingers while pushing down with your index finger to bend the deck. Now "riffle" the cards off of your thumb by moving it up the deck. The cards will individually go straight when they come off the tip of your thumb. Stop about halfway up the deck.
Now put your left hand into the split, to make two separate piles of about the same size. Hold the second deck like a mirror image of the first.
How to bend and shuffle
Now bend both small decks like in step two, hold them within about an inch and a half of each other, and riffle both at the same time so that they overlap every few cards, all the way through. You may have to experiment with the length.
How to do the waterfall
For added shuffle and some style points, add the waterfall after your bend.
To execute the waterfall, push the remaining cards together (aka "square the deck") by loosely letting the cards fall one by one into your other hand. With the right grip, you can arch the cards so they fall steadily like a waterfall.
Keep your pinky, ring, and middle fingers of both hands underneath the deck on both sides. Keep your thumbs and index fingers of both hands hovering.
Now, with your last three fingers in the same place, bend the entire deck in the middle, so it's a half-circle. Put your thumbs on top to keep the cards from launching everywhere. Put your index fingers on the bottom, too. To waterfall it, slowly release the pressure, moving your hands slightly apart. Then square the deck.
Want to get really fancy with your shuffling? Check out this sweet tutorial by Bao Magic, which he put together during COVID to share his skills with budding poker masters all over the world.
Managing the game of poker
In Hold'em, cards are dealt from right to left until each player has two hole cards. The first player to receive a card is the player directly to the left of the dealer, also known as the "small blind". The small blind must post half the minimum amount to see their cards, while the "big blind" (to the left of the small blind) must post the full amount.
Once all players on the table have received their two cards, a round of betting ensues starting with the player to the left of the big blind. Players may simply post the blind, or they can "raise" (increase the amount to play) or "fold" (opt to not play and rather push their cards into the muck). Raises prior to the community cards being drawn are known as "pre-flop raises", and these must be at least double the blind. Other players can call a raise, re-raise, or fold.
Once all players have posted the necessary pre-flop amounts, the dealer "burns" one card (puts it face down on the table) and then turns over the next three cards at the center of the table. These are the first three community cards, also known as the "flop". A round of betting ensues, with players able to check (not bet or fold), bet (state an amount other players must pay to stay in the hand), or fold (get out of the hand). Bets can be raised, and raises can be re-raised. An "all-in" bet or raise means a player has put their entire collection of chips on the line, and that number must be met by anyone willing to "call" and stay in the hand.
Once the post-flop pot is right (all money is accounted for and everyone in has posted the necessary chips), the dealer burns another card and then flips over a fourth card. This card is known as "the turn." Another round of betting ensues after the turn. Then, the dealer burns one last card and flips over the fifth and final community card, known as "the river." One more round of betting ensues, and the remaining player who has the best five-card hand between their hole cards and the board wins all the chips wagered during that hand.
Now, let's get to the hand rankings, so you know the power structure of Hold'em.
MORE: Full World Series of Poker 2025 schedule and events
Complete poker hand rankings: Texas Hold'em order of strength from best hands to worst
Royal flush
Straight flush
Four of a kind
Full House
Flush
Straight
Three of a kind
Two pair
One pair
High card
Texas Hold'em hands explained, odds of drawing
Royal flush (Odds of drawing: 1 in 649,739)
Numero Uno in the rankings of Texas Hold'em hands, the royal flush rules the poker jungle. Quite simply, it's the best possible straight flush: Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 of the same suit. If your hole cards and the board combine to make the five highest cards of any suit, you have just automatically won the pot (side note: you might want to slow-play it a bit — your opponent will likely be a bit intimidated by such a strong-looking board).
Many of the people who have played poker for more than a few years have a good royal flush story. It's incredibly rare to draw one — the sporting equivalent might be an inside-the-park grand slam, or an unassisted triple play — so snap a photo if and when you get lucky enough to land one. It would certainly qualify as worthy of a social-media post!
Straight flush (1 in 64,767)
Like the royal flush, the straight flush involves five cards of one suit in order. Basically, it's a straight and a flush combined. The highest-possible straight flush besides the royal flush is 9-10-J-Q-K. Note that the Ace can also operate as a low card (1), so A-2-3-4-5 — better known as "the wheel" — would constitute as a straight flush if all five cards were the same suit.
Four of a kind (1 in 4,167)
With just four of each card rank in a 52-card deck, it's obviously rare to draw four of a kind. It's not even close to as rare as a straight flush, however. Often called "quads," four of a kind is an incredibly fun hand to draw — as long as you don't lose out to higher quads!
Full House (1 in 694)
A Full House, or "full boat", is a hand comprised of a three of a kind and a pair. If you have three of one number or rank and two of another number or rank, you've boated up. "Aces full of Kings," or three Aces/two Kings, is the best Full House to draw (the higher-ranking three of a kind always beats hands with lower-ranking three of a kind, regardless of the paired component).
Flush (1 in 509)
A flush is five cards of any suit. If your hole cards and the board combine to make five diamonds, five hearts, five clubs or five spades, you've drawn a flush! Flushes drawn using suited hole cards usually have strong odds of winning, while flushes drawn using four suited cards on the board have a lower chance of winning, unless you're holding an Ace or King of that suit. The Ace-high flush is the highest-possible standard suit — even if you have A-3-4-5-8 of any suit, you'll beat someone who has K-Q-4-5-8 of that same suit.
Straight (1 in 132)
Straights are straightforward — they're comprised of five cards in consecutive order. The Ace can go both ways with straights, as explained earlier, with an Ace-high straight (A-K-Q-J-10, also known as "Broadway") or "the wheel" (A-2-3-4-5). The wheel is the weakest straight in poker, but it still wins most of the time (Note: There's no such thing as a "wrap-around straight," like J-Q-K-A-2).
Three of a kind (1 in 47)
A three of a kind is exactly as it sounds: three cards of the same rank, along with two other unpaired cards. Also called "trips" or "a set," three of a kind beats two pair as it draws once every 47 hands on average, as opposed to two pair ,which draws once every 21 hands. If two players have three of a kinds, the higher three of a kind wins. If two players have the same three of a kind, the player with the highest rank of their other two cards wins.
Two pair (1 in 21)
Two pair beats a regular pair or high card, but not much else. If multiple players have two pair, the player with the highest pair overall wins the tiebreaker. Thus, "Aces up" and "Kings up" tend to win a lot of two-pair showdowns.
One pair (1 in 2)
One pair hands are pretty obviously hands with a single pair and three other unpaired cards. If multiple players hold one pair in a showdown, the winner is the hand with the higher pair. If multiple players have the same pair, the player with the highest non-paired card wins.
High card (1 in 2)
High card is the bottom of the totem pole, and thus the least winning hand in Texas Hold'em. If nobody gets to the river with at least a pair, the player with the highest card in his hands wins the pot (a small one, most of the time). That said, an Ace is always worth holding onto if everyone is checking down or making minimum/test-the-water wagers.
MORE: How to win at Texas Hold'em, our guide to the best strategy and tips
Awarding the pot in poker
The winner of each hand is the winner of the pot, also known as the chips in the middle of the table. The pot is the sum of all chips blinded or wagered during a hand. Most of the time, one winner emerges with all the chips. At the completion of some hands, more than one person may win the pot in a tie or "split."
When one person wins the pot, it's pretty simple — they just take the chips in the center of the table. When multiple people split a pot, the dealer must split it evenly between all the players who tied for the win.
If certain players were "all-in," meaning they pushed every one of their chips in the middle, they more than likely are not eligible to win all of the chips in the center of the table if there are multiple other players in the hand who have more chips.
This can create a "side pot," an amount of chips on the side that only that all-in player with the shorter stack is eligible to win. The rest of the players in the hand are eligible for the main pot and the side pot, unless they, too, go all in and require a separate side pot.
Home game vs. casino dealing in poker
Home games are usually much more casual and often include a dealer rotation involving players within the game. The dealer chip moves along the table with the deal.
In a casino, however, there is a neutral party dealing each hand. This can move the games along more quickly and efficiently, and also avoid issues and conflicts of interest.
Detecting cheating in poker
To detect cheating, dealers must be observant. Monitor activities and behaviors on your table to ensure no suspicious patterns or unfair use of technology are occurring.
You may want to put your guard up if a specific player or multiple players have started winning an abnormal amount, getting unusually lucky on the turn and river on a consistent basis, or communicating with one another using hand signals or peculiar language.
Other red flags include bizarre betting patterns, folding strong hands or showing weak ones, over-betting or under-betting, or taking abnormal amounts of time.
Technology is often used to capture cards or send information to other players. Many amoral players go with an old-school approach, though, and mark their cards. It can be as subtle as a little fingernail indent in the corner of the back of a card.
Another old-school cheat is peeping or peeking at an opponent's cards. The best way to deal with cheating is to cash the player out of your cash game or simply remove them from your tournament. Always protect yourself by playing with reputable players or having a trustworthy neutral dealer (or both!). Or, just be the dealer and monitor the fairness of the games yourself!