Poker Academy
Learn Texas Hold'em.
Think beyond your cards.
Learn the rules, hand rankings, positions, preflop fundamentals and the mathematics behind stronger poker decisions.
Learning Path
Texas Hold'em Fundamentals
Start with the foundations of the game, then progress toward strategy and poker mathematics.
Poker Basics
FreeUnderstand the objective of Texas Hold'em, the deck, hole cards, community cards and how a hand is won.
Hand Rankings
FreeLearn every poker hand from High Card to Royal Flush and understand which hands beat which.
Table & Positions
FreeUnderstand the Button, blinds, early position, late position and why your seat changes your strategy.
Preflop Fundamentals
FreeLearn how starting-hand strength, position and previous action affect your first decision.
Flop, Turn & River
FreeUnderstand the three postflop streets and how new community cards change the strength of your hand.
Betting & Actions
FreeMaster Fold, Check, Call, Bet and Raise while understanding how betting rounds work.
Pot Odds
ProCompare the price of a call with the potential reward and make mathematically stronger decisions.
Outs & Equity
ProEstimate how often your draws improve and connect outs with practical equity calculations.
Poker Strategy
ProCombine ranges, position, initiative and board texture into a stronger decision process.
Final Challenge
ProCombine hand strength, position, ranges, pot odds and equity in complete poker decisions.
Essential Knowledge
Hand rankings
Strongest to weakest.
Royal Flush
A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠
Straight Flush
9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥
Four of a Kind
K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣ 3♠
Full House
Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 7♣ 7♠
Flush
A♦ J♦ 8♦ 5♦ 2♦
Straight
10♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 6♠
Three of a Kind
8♠ 8♥ 8♦ K♣ 2♠
Two Pair
A♠ A♥ 6♦ 6♣ 3♠
One Pair
J♠ J♦ 9♥ 5♣ 2♦
High Card
A♠ J♥ 8♦ 5♣ 2♠
The Game
One hand. Four streets.
01
Preflop
2 hole cards
Players receive their private cards and make the first decision.
02
Flop
3 community cards
The first three community cards appear and postflop play begins.
03
Turn
4th community card
One additional card changes ranges, draws and hand strength.
04
River
5th community card
The final card is dealt before the last betting round.
Core Concept
Position is power.
Acting later gives you more information. That is why the Button and Cutoff can generally play more hands than early positions such as UTG.
Example
A♠ J♠
Next Step
Knowledge becomes useful through practice.
Test your hand rankings, identify the best five-card hand and make Texas Hold'em decisions under pressure.
OPEN POKER PRACTICE →