Texas Holdem Rules: 德州扑克 Beginner Guide 2026

Walk into any Chinese poker chat room and someone will ask：德州扑克怎么玩？ The name sounds local; the game is global. 德州扑克 is the standard Chinese term for Texas Hold'em—the world's default poker format, played live from Macau to Las Vegas and online on every major platform.

Think of each hand as a blueprint workshop. You receive two private design specs (hole cards). The table reveals five shared components (community cards). Your job: assemble the strongest five-card blueprint from the seven available pieces. Four inspection rounds (betting streets) let players pay to stay in the build—or fold when the design won't work.

This guide covers rules only: setup, blinds, dealing order, the four streets, actions, official hand rankings, and showdown protocol. No ranges, no solver talk.

The Core Equation: 2 + 5 = Best 5

Element	English	中文	Visibility
Hole cards	2 private cards	底牌 / 手牌	Only you
Community cards	5 shared cards	公共牌 / 公牌	Everyone
Final hand	Best 5-card combination	最佳五张牌型	Built from any 7 cards

You may use zero, one, or both hole cards. Example: board shows a complete flush; your hole cards can be trash—you play the board.

Critical rule: Suits have no rank in standard Hold'em. A♠K♠ and A♥K♥ tie if the five-card combination is identical. There is no "花色比大小" trump suit.

Table Positions and the Blind Tax

Before cards arrive, three roles matter:

Position	Abbrev.	中文	Function
Button (Dealer)	BTN	庄家 / 按钮位	Acts last post-flop; rotates clockwise each hand
Small Blind	SB	小盲	Forced bet = ½ of big blind; first to act post-flop
Big Blind	BB	大盲	Forced bet = 1 BB; last to act preflop

UTG (Under the Gun) sits left of BB and acts first preflop. Positions continue clockwise: UTG+1, MP, CO, etc.

The blinds exist to seed the pot—without them, nobody has incentive to enter the build. In a $1/$2 game, SB posts $1, BB posts $2.

Dealing and the Burn Card

Standard live and online procedure (Metropolitan Casinos official rules PDF):

1. Cards deal clockwise, starting at SB
2. Each player receives two cards face down
3. Before each community street, the dealer burns one card (discards face-down) to deter marking cheats
4. Flop: three community cards face-up
5. Turn: one community card
6. River: one final community card

The Four Streets (Betting Rounds)

Each street is a negotiation round—pay chips to continue, or fold and abandon your blueprint.

Street	English	中文	Community cards	First to act*
1	Preflop	翻牌前	0 (hole cards only)	UTG (left of BB)
2	Flop	翻牌圈	3	First active player left of BTN (usually SB)
3	Turn	转牌圈	4	Same
4	River	河牌圈	5	Same

*If only two players remain, the out-of-position player typically acts first post-flop.

Your four actions

Action	中文	When available
Fold	弃牌	Always (forfeit hand)
Check	过牌	No bet facing you
Call	跟注	Match current bet
Bet / Raise	下注 / 加注	Increase the price to stay

All-in: you push your remaining stack; side pots form if others have more chips (standard tournament/cash rule).

Minimum raise rule

Post-flop, the minimum bet equals one big blind. A legal raise must be at least the size of the previous raise increment. Example at $1/$2: if someone bets $6, a minimum raise adds $6 more (total $12)—not merely $2.

Official Hand Rankings (High to Low)

Memorize this ladder—德州扑克牌型大小 follows international standard, identical in WSOP, WPT, and GGPoker rulebooks:

Rank	English	中文	Example
1	Royal Flush	皇家同花顺	A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠
2	Straight Flush	同花顺	9♥8♥7♥6♥5♥
3	Four of a Kind	四条 / 铁支	K♣K♦K♥K♠3♦
4	Full House	葫芦 / 满堂红	8♠8♦8♣Q♥Q♠
5	Flush	同花	A♦J♦9♦4♦2♦
6	Straight	顺子	10♣9♦8♠7♥6♣
7	Three of a Kind	三条	7♠7♥7♦K♣2♠
8	Two Pair	两对	J♣J♠4♦4♥A♠
9	One Pair	一对	Q♥Q♦A♣9♠3♦
10	High Card	高牌 / 散牌	A♠J♦8♣5♥2♠

Tiebreakers (Kicker rules)

When two players hold the same category:

• Pairs/trips/quads: compare the set, then kicker cards (踢脚牌) in order
• Two pair: compare higher pair, then lower pair, then kicker
• Flush/straight/straight flush: compare top card of the combination; wheel (A-2-3-4-5) is the lowest straight
• Identical five-card board: split pot (平分底池)

Wheel note: A-2-3-4-5 counts as a five-high straight. A-2-3-4-6 is not a straight.

Showdown Protocol

If two or more players reach river with chips behind:

1. Last aggressor shows first — whoever bet/raised last on the river opens
2. If river was checked through, show begins left of button (typically SB first)
3. Players reveal hole cards; best five-card hand wins the pot
4. You may muck (不亮牌) if beaten, unless called to show

You do not need to declare your hand verbally—the cards speak. Dealers (human or software) read the board.

A Sample Hand Walkthrough

Setup: $1/$2 six-max. You hold A♠K♦ on the button. SB posts $1, BB posts $2.

Street	Board	Action summary
Preflop	—	UTG folds… you raise to $6. BB calls. Pot = $13
Flop	K♣7♠2♥	BB checks. You bet $8. BB calls. Pot = $29
Turn	K♣7♠2♥J♦	BB checks. You bet $20. BB folds. You win $29

If BB had called turn and river came a blank, you'd compare your trip Kings (K-K-K-A-J) against BB's best five—built from seven cards total.

What 德州扑克 Is NOT

Myth	Reality
"比花色"	Suits never break ties in standard Hold'em
"必须用手牌"	You may play board only (playing the board)
"A always wins"	High card is the weakest made category
"梭哈 = 德州"	梭哈 (Stud) deals individual up/down cards—different game

Where to Practice

Free play-money tables exist on PokerStars, GGPoker, and ClubGG. Home games and club apps (PPPoker, ClubGG) use the same ranking ladder—only the chip economy differs.

Bottom Line

德州扑克 is Texas Hold'em: a blueprint workshop where seven cards become five, across four priced inspection rounds. Learn the blind structure, street order, ten hand ranks, and showdown etiquette—that skeleton supports every strategy layer you'll add later.

Master the blueprint before you optimize the factory.