Flop, turn and river: the four streets of poker

'#una-mano', __('streets.jump_faq') => '#preguntas']" />

The four streets, one by one

A street is each of the four betting rounds in a hand. It starts when its cards are dealt and ends once everyone still in has acted, which means made their decision in turn, and has the same amount in front of them. Then one card is burned, set aside face down without being shown, and the next batch comes.

The board as the street starts

Two for each player

Street 1 of 4

Preflop

Preflop is the first street: each player has their two cards, face down, and there's nothing in the middle yet.

Dealt

2 to each player, face down

Burned

None

You see

2 of your 7 cards

Acts first

The player to the left of the big blind
The board as the street starts

K 8 4

One burned

Street 2 of 4

Flop

The flop is the first three cards in the middle, dealt together, and the street that starts with them.

Dealt

3 to the board, all at once

Burned

1, face down

You see

5 of your 7 cards

Acts first

The first player still in to the left of the button
The board as the street starts

K 8 4 7

One burned

Street 3 of 4

Turn

The turn is the fourth card in the middle, dealt on its own, and the street that starts with it.

Dealt

1 to the board, on its own

Burned

1, face down

You see

6 of your 7 cards

Acts first

The first player still in to the left of the button
The board as the street starts

K 8 4 7 2

One burned

Street 4 of 4

River

The river is the fifth and last card in the middle, and its street is the last betting round of the hand.

Dealt

1 to the board, on its own

Burned

1, face down

You see

7 of your 7 cards

Acts first

The first player still in to the left of the button

After the river

No more cards come. If two or more players are left after the last bet, they show their cards, and the best five-card hand made from seven, a player's own two and the five on the board, wins. That's the showdown. If everyone but one has folded before that, the hand ends right there, and the last player in takes the pot without showing anything.

Who acts first on each street

On every street players act in turn, one at a time, clockwise. What changes is who starts, and it changes only once in a hand: when the flop comes.

Before the flop

The player sitting to the left of the big blind starts. The blinds, the two forced bets put in before the deal, already have chips in front of them, so they act last.
1. Left of the big blind
2. Button
3. Small blind
4. Big blind
On the flop, the turn and the river

The first player still in to the left of the button starts. The button is the disc that marks who deals. If the small blind has folded, the next player starts. The button acts last on all three streets.
1. Small blind
2. Big blind
3. Left of the big blind
4. Button
When only two play

The button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop. From the flop on, the button acts last, as always.

Before the flop
1. Button, who is the small blind
2. Big blind
On the flop, the turn and the river
1. Big blind
2. Button, who is the small blind

When nobody can bet any more

If everyone still in has gone all-in, which means putting in all their chips, or everyone but one has, there's nothing left to bet. The missing cards are dealt anyway, each batch with its burn card, and then the cards are shown.

Poker positions Check, bet, call, raise, fold

A whole hand, street by street

Four players and blinds of 1 and 2 chips. You're in the big blind. Here you also see Mabel's cards, as on a TV broadcast: at a real table you wouldn't see them until the end. Watch what each new card does to each player's best five.

Frankie Button Face-down cards
Gale Small blind Face-down cards
You Big blind 8 7
Mabel Left of the big blind K 3

Street 1 of 4

Before the flop

Each player gets two cards, face down. There's nothing in the middle yet, so nobody has a five-card hand: just two cards.
The board

5 Pot
Acts first Mabel

The blinds already have chips in, so the player to the left of the big blind starts.
1. Gale posts the small blind 1
2. You post the big blind 2
3. Mabel calls 2
4. Frankie folds
5. Gale folds
6. You check
Your two cards No five-card hand yet

8 7

Mabel's two cards No five-card hand yet

K 3

A dot marks the cards that are a player's own, not the board's. In gold, the cards just dealt.
Street 2 of 4

The flop

One card is burned and three come out at once: the king of hearts, the eight of clubs and the four of hearts. Now each player has five cards, their own two and the three on the board, and there are hands.
The board

K 8 4

1 burned 5 Pot
Acts first You

Now the first player still in to the left of the button starts. Gale has folded, so you start.
1. You check
2. Mabel checks
Your best five Pair of eights

8 8 K 7 4

Your eight pairs with the one on the board: a pair of eights. You also have four hearts. If another heart comes, you'll have a flush, five cards of the same suit.

Mabel's best five Pair of kings Ahead

K K 8 4 3

Her king pairs with the one on the board: a pair of kings. She's ahead, because a pair of kings beats a pair of eights.
Street 3 of 4

The turn

Another card is burned and one comes out on its own: the seven of clubs. Each player has six cards and picks the best five.
The board

K 8 4 7

2 burned 13 Pot
Acts first You

New street, same order: you first, then Mabel.
1. You check
2. Mabel bets 4
3. You call 4
Your best five Two pair, eights and sevens Ahead

8 8 7 7 K

The seven on the board matches your seven: now you have two pair, eights and sevens, and you're ahead. To make room, the four of hearts drops out of your five.

Mabel's best five Pair of kings

K K 8 7 4

She still has her pair of kings. The seven comes into her five and pushes out the three of spades: she now uses only one of her two cards.
Street 4 of 4

The river

The third card is burned and the last one comes out: the two of hearts. Each player has all seven cards and picks the best five.
The board

K 8 4 7 2

3 burned 29 Pot
Acts first You

And on the river, the same: you first, Mabel last.
1. You bet 8
2. Mabel calls 8
Your best five Flush in hearts Wins the pot

K 8 7 4 2

The two is your fifth heart: a flush. You have seven cards and keep the best five, and a flush beats two pair. That's why the eight of clubs and the seven of clubs drop out of your five.

Mabel's best five Pair of kings

K K 8 7 4

The two does nothing for her: she still has her pair of kings, made with just one of her own cards.

The cards are shown

There are no cards left to come and nobody left to act, so the cards are shown: that's the showdown. You show first, because the last bet was yours. Your flush beats her pair of kings, and the pot of 29 is yours.

The mix-ups most beginners make

1
Thinking you must use both your cards

Your hand is the best five of your seven cards, wherever they come from: you can use both your cards, one or neither. In the hand above, on the river Mabel uses only one, the king of diamonds. The three of spades is left out.
2
Mixing up the turn and your turn

The turn isn't the moment it's your move: it's the fourth card on the board and the street that starts with it. When it's your move, players say the action is on you.
3
Keeping the order from before the flop

Before the flop, the big blind acts last. From the flop on, the order starts to the left of the button, and the big blind is among the first to act. In the hand above, you act last before the flop, and first on the flop, the turn and the river.
4
Expecting something after the river

The river is the last card. After it comes only its betting round, and then the cards are shown. And if everyone but one folds earlier, the hand ends right there: no more cards come.

Other names you'll hear

The streets have nicknames. The turn is also called fourth street, and the river fifth street. They count cards, not rounds: the turn is the fourth card on the board, but the third street.

Word	Also heard	What it is
Street	Betting round	Each of the four betting rounds in a hand.
Preflop	Before the flop	The first street, with only your two cards.
Flop	To flop a hand	The first three board cards, and their street. To flop a hand is to make it there.
Turn	Fourth street	The fourth board card, and its street.
River	Fifth street	The fifth and last board card, and its street.
Burn card	The burn	The top card, set aside face down before each batch.
Board	Community cards	The five cards everyone shares.

Path 1 · 7 lessons · 52 min

The table comes alive

In the course

The four streets, played

The course teaches them in path 1, “The table comes alive”: first how the five board cards come out, then who acts first on each street and, last, a whole hand. Before the streets come “The cards” and “Chips and the pot”.

The four streets

The five cards in the middle come out in three batches: three, one and one. You decide before they come out and after each batch.

8 min
Blinds and button

You'll know who speaks first on every street, and why, without memorising rules.

8 min
A whole hand

A whole hand, from the blinds to the pot, with you deciding on every street.

9 min

Start the course from the beginning See all eighteen paths

Frequently asked questions

What are the flop, turn and river in poker?

They're the community cards of Texas Hold'em, the five cards in the middle that every player can use, and they come out in three batches. The flop is the first three, dealt at once; the turn is the fourth, and the river the fifth and last. Each batch opens a betting round.

What is a street in poker, and how many are there?

A street is each betting round in a hand. Texas Hold'em has four: preflop, before any card reaches the board; the flop, with three; the turn, with the fourth; and the river, with the fifth. If everyone but one folds earlier, the hand ends and the streets left aren't played.

Who acts first on the flop?

The first player still in to the left of the button, usually the small blind. That order holds on the turn and the river, and the button always acts last. Before the flop it's different: the player to the left of the big blind starts, because the blinds have already put chips in.

Why do you burn a card before the flop, turn and river?

So nobody gains from having seen the top card of the deck, through a slip while dealing or a mark on its back. The dealer sets it aside face down, unseen, and deals the next ones. A hand that reaches the river burns 3 cards, one before each batch.

Why are they called the flop, the turn and the river?

Nobody knows for sure. The flop is three cards flopped onto the table at once, and the turn is one card turned over on its own, but those are readings of the words, not recorded history. The river is often said to come from games on Mississippi riverboats, a story nobody has been able to prove.