How Many Cards Are Used in Poker? Decks and Rules by Variant

A partially fanned deck, with overlapping cards viewed from the back.

Standard Texas Hold’em uses one 52-card deck. Each player receives two private cards, and the board can reach five community cards. At showdown, the best five-card combination counts. Other variants deal cards differently, as the table shows. ^[1]^[2]

How Many Cards Are Used in Each Poker Variant?

Variant	Deck used	Each player’s cards	Community cards	How the final hand is formed
Standard Texas Hold’em	52 cards	Two private cards	Up to five	The best five from the two private cards and five community cards; zero, one or two private cards may be used. ^[1]^[2]
Four-card Omaha	52 cards	Four individual cards	Five on a complete board	Exactly two individual cards and three community cards. ^[4]
7-Card Stud	52 cards	Normally seven over the hand, some face down and some face up	Usually no community cards	The best five-card combination. ^[4] PokerStars
Draw poker in the local variant described	A reduced deck based on player count	Five face-down cards, with the option to draw replacements	No community cards in the procedure described	The five cards held after any draw. ^[5]

Texas Hold’em: Two Private Cards and Up to Five Community Cards

The two private cards, or hole cards, are dealt pre-flop. Then the flop reveals three community cards, the turn adds one, and the river adds the last, with betting rounds between stages. If all but one player fold, the hand ends without the board needing to be completed. ^[1]^[2]

With the river revealed, each player has seven available cards from which to select the best five. The example below shows how that selection works.

A Complete Example: Which Two Cards Are Left Out?

In this constructed teaching example illustrating the Hold’em rule, your hole cards are Q♣ Q♦, and the complete board is Q♥ 9♠ 9♦ 5♣ 2♥. ^[1]^[2]

Your best hand is Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ 9♠ 9♦: three queens and two nines make a full house, meaning three of a kind plus a pair. 5♣ and 2♥ are left out because they are not part of that combination. ^[1]

Omaha: Four Cards Dealt, Two Used

In four-card Omaha, the final combination must use exactly two of the four individual cards and three community cards. Unlike Hold’em, you cannot use only one individual card or play only the board. ^[4]

7-Card Stud: Face-Up Cards That Remain Individual Cards

In 7-Card Stud, there are usually no community cards. The usual deal starts with two face-down cards and one face-up card and ends with the seventh card face down. A player’s exposed cards can be seen by opponents but remain that player’s individual cards. At showdown, the best five-card hand is selected. ^[4] PokerStars

Draw Poker: Five Cards and One Drawing Round

In the local procedure described by Copag Loja, each player receives five face-down cards. After betting, players may keep their hand or replace some cards, setting aside as many as they intend to receive. The source describes one drawing round; each player continues to hold five cards. ^[5]

The Local Variant with a Reduced Deck

Copag Loja describes a draw poker variant that removes low cards according to player count: 7 through ace for four or fewer players; 6 through ace for five players. This is a convention of that local variant, not a change to standard Texas Hold’em rules. ^[5]

Why Do Some Sets Include Two Decks?

DM Créditos describes the second deck as a spare to replace a damaged or marked set. That does not mean mixing two decks in one hand: standard Hold’em uses one 52-card deck. ^[3]

Before playing, confirm the variant and, if local rules apply, the deck composition and permitted draw. These details determine which cards will be available in the game. ^[5]