POKER AULASmart poker training

Demo: your first decision

Goal: See how a hand of Texas Hold'em is played and make your first decision with feedback. · 6 min · no time limit

Free and no sign-up. Your answers are graded instantly but not saved: to save your progress, create an account at the end.

Welcome to POKER AULA! In a few minutes you'll watch a complete poker hand and make your first decision. You don't need to know anything beforehand.

In Texas Hold'em each player gets two private cards (hole cards) and up to five shared cards (community cards) are dealt face up in the middle for everyone to use. The winner is whoever makes the best five-card combination, or whoever is still in the hand when everyone else folds. When it's your turn and nobody has bet, you can check (check) without putting in chips or bet (bet) to make the pot grow.

A hand from start to finish

Cash NLHE 6-max · 100 bb effective · blinds 0.5/1 · no ante

The deal: each player gets two cards face down. You have ace-king. Two players have already posted forced bets (the blinds) so there's something at stake: the big blind posts 1 chip, which we call 1 bb; everything in the course is measured in bb.

Step 1 of 6

Demo: straight on the river and the opponent checks

Cash 6-max 100bb

Before the flop you raised and your only opponent called. On the flop and the turn nobody bet. An 8 came on the river and now you have five cards in a row: Q-J-10-9-8, a straight. With these community cards there's no hand better than yours.

Cash NLHE 6-max · 100 bb effective · blinds 0.5/1 · no ante
Action history (11)
  1. Preflop
  2. UTG folds
  3. HJ folds
  4. CO folds
  5. BTN raises to 2.5 bb
  6. SB folds
  7. BB calls
  8. Flop
  9. BB checks
  10. BTN checks
  11. Turn
  12. BB checks
  13. BTN checks
  14. River
  15. BB checks

Your opponent checks. You have the best possible hand. Do you check or bet 4 bb?

What changed? Same cards, different board

You'll see 2 almost identical situations. Decide in each one; at the end we'll show you exactly which variable changed the decision and why.

Situation A: You made a straight

Cash 6-max 100bb

Before the flop you raised and your only opponent called. On the flop and the turn nobody bet. An 8 came on the river and now you have five cards in a row: Q-J-10-9-8, a straight. With these community cards there's no hand better than yours.

Cash NLHE 6-max · 100 bb effective · blinds 0.5/1 · no ante
Action history (11)
  1. Preflop
  2. UTG folds
  3. HJ folds
  4. CO folds
  5. BTN raises to 2.5 bb
  6. SB folds
  7. BB calls
  8. Flop
  9. BB checks
  10. BTN checks
  11. Turn
  12. BB checks
  13. BTN checks
  14. River
  15. BB checks

Your opponent checks. You have the best possible hand. Do you check or bet 4 bb?

Situation B: You made a small pair

Cash 6-max 100bb

The same hand and the same actions, but different community cards came. A 10 came on the river: now you have a pair of tens. It's a small pair: there's an ace and a king on the board, and any opponent holding one of them beats you.

Cash NLHE 6-max · 100 bb effective · blinds 0.5/1 · no ante
Action history (11)
  1. Preflop
  2. UTG folds
  3. HJ folds
  4. CO folds
  5. BTN raises to 2.5 bb
  6. SB folds
  7. BB calls
  8. Flop
  9. BB checks
  10. BTN checks
  11. Turn
  12. BB checks
  13. BTN checks
  14. River
  15. BB checks

Your opponent checks. You have a pair of tens. Do you check or bet 4 bb?

Key takeaways

  • Each player has 2 hole cards and shares up to 5 community cards.
  • The best 5-card combination at showdown wins, or whoever is left alone in the hand.
  • With the best hand, betting gives you the chance to win more; with a weak hand, checking lets you see the end without risking anything.
  • The same hand can be worth a lot or a little depending on the community cards.

Now try the Trainer

10 real situations from the Trainer, by level: you decide, get corrected and see THE WHY. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes.

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