The object of Texas Hold 'em is to create the best possible 5 card hand using the two cards that you are dealt and the five community cards available for use by every player. The dealer is represented by a white disk(called the dealer button) that rotates clockwise around the table after each hand. Before the hand begins, the player to the left of the dealer (known as the small blind must ante ½ the minimum bet. The player to the small blind's left must ante the minumum bet. Starting with the small blind, each player is dealt two cards face down.

Each player is allowed to look at only their two cards. Based on the strength of their two cards, the player immediately to the left of the big blind will have the option to fold (surrender your hand), call (match the highest bet of the turn), or raise (increase the bet by at least the amount of the minimum bet). The betting continues until each player who hasn't folded has had the opportunity to call the highest bet.

The dealer then "flops" three community cards in the center of the table. Each player, beginning with the person immediately to the left of the dealer button, will have an opportunity to fold, check, call, or raise. A player can only check if the players who played before them did not place bets this turn.

Once everyone has had an opportunity to bet after the flop, the dealer "turns" a fourth community card. Each player will have another turn in which they can fold, check, call, or raise. The final community card, the "river", begins the final round of betting. Once the final bet is called, the player who made the bet that was called must show their hand. The remaining player's cards are compared to determine the best poker hand.