An introduction to the version named above. Special cases and local rules may differ. Agree on your rules before the first hand.
GAME PHASE 01
Goal & Hand Rankings
The best hand of five cards
The goal is to hold the strongest five-card combination, or to make everyone else fold through betting. You combine your 2 own cards with 5 face-up community cards.
From High Card to Straight Flush
The ranking (weak → strong): High Card, Pair, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Straight (5 in a row), Flush (5 of the same suit), Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush. The rarer, the stronger.
Straight & Full House
A straight is five consecutive ranks in mixed suits. A full house is three of a kind plus a pair. Both beat a simple pair by a wide margin.
GAME PHASE 02
Blinds & Hole Cards
Forced bets: the blinds
So there is always something in the pot, two players pay “blinds” before the deal: the player left of the dealer posts the small blind, the next one the big blind. A button marks who the dealer is.
Two hidden cards
Each player receives two face-down cards: the “hole cards”. Only you see them. They remain your secret foundation for the entire hand.
GAME PHASE 03
Betting Rounds
Your four options
When it is your turn, you can: “check” (pass when there is no bet), “call” (match the bet), “raise” (increase) or “fold” (give up and drop out). This goes around until everyone has bet the same amount.
First betting round (pre-flop)
Before any community cards are dealt, there is a betting round, based only on the two hole cards. Players with weak hands often fold right here to avoid losing chips.
GAME PHASE 04
Flop, Turn, River
The flop: three open cards
Now the dealer places three community cards face up in the middle: the “flop”. These cards count for everyone. The second betting round follows.
Turn & river: one card each
After the next betting round comes the fourth card, the “turn”. Another round of betting, then the fifth and final card, the “river”. In total, five community cards then lie on the table.
GAME PHASE 05
Showdown
Revealing the cards
If at least two players remain after the last betting round, it comes to the “showdown”: the remaining players reveal their hole cards. Whoever builds the best 5-card hand wins the pot.
Winning without a showdown
It often never gets that far: if someone bets so high that everyone else folds, they win the pot immediately, without ever showing their cards. That is exactly what makes bluffing possible.
FROM READING TO UNDERSTANDING
Try it again.
With cards on the table.
The iPhone app walks you through sample rounds at your own pace. All eleven games and every lesson are free. You can also play Mau-Mau against computer opponents.
Explore Kartenschule ↗Coming soon to the App Store. In English and German.Publisher: Sebastian Kurock. Updated October 2, 2026. Based on Kartenschule’s own lessons.