Do suits have a ranking?

No. Suits never break ties in poker; identical hands split the pot.

Do I have to use my hole cards?

No — use two, one or none. Using none is called playing the board.

Who wins if both players have two pair?

Compare the higher pair first, then the lower pair, then the kicker.

Can I win more than the pot I matched when all-in?

No. An all-in player can only win the main pot they matched; the rest goes to a side pot.

Texas Hold’em Guide

Watched the videos and still felt lost? This is where it clicks — flow, position, starting hands, street-by-street thinking and the odds worth memorizing, all on one page.

1. Game flow

Two hole cards each, five community cards, four betting rounds — make the best five out of seven.

The full step-by-step rules live in the rulebook.

2. Position

The later you act, the more you know. Late position (button, cutoff) plays more hands and wins more — this single idea underlies most of Hold’em strategy.

3. Starting hands

Ignoring suits, there are exactly 169 starting-hand types (13 pairs, 78 suited, 78 offsuit). Group them instead of memorizing them:

Group	Examples	Character
Premium	AA, KK, QQ, AK	Play aggressively from any seat
Strong broadway	JJ, TT, AQ, AJs, KQs	Openable from most seats; re-evaluate under heavy pressure
Small–mid pairs	99–22	Set-mining hands — see a cheap flop, win a big pot
Suited connectors	T9s, 87s, 65s	Straight/flush potential; best in position with deep stacks
Suited aces	A5s, A4s	Nut-flush potential plus wheel straights
Most of the rest	K7o, Q5o, J3o…	Usually a fold — pretty-looking offsuit hands are the classic trap

4. Thinking street by street

Pre-flop — seat first, hand group second. Decide who is the aggressor.
Flop — ask how the board hits your range: made hand, draw, or air. The pre-flop aggressor often continues (c-bet).
Turn — the pot doubles here; sizing decisions matter most on this street.
River — draws are dead: every bet is now pure value or pure bluff. Decide which yours is before chips go in.

5. Odds worth knowing

0.45%Dealt AA (1 in 221)

5.9%Dealt any pair

11.8%Pair flops a set or better

32%AK pairs up by the flop

35%Flush draw completes by the river

31%Open-ended straight draw completes

Classic pre-flop match-ups (approximate all-in equities): pair vs two overcards ≈ 55:45 (“the coin flip”), overpair vs underpair ≈ 80:20, AK vs AQ (dominated) ≈ 74:26.

6. FAQ

Do suits have a ranking?: No. Suits never break ties; identical hands split the pot.
Do I have to use my hole cards?: No — two, one or none. Using none is playing the board.
Both have two pair — who wins?: Higher pair first, then the lower pair, then the kicker.
Can an all-in player win the whole pot?: Only the main pot they matched; the excess forms a side pot.