Official Poker Rules BoardDocument OPR-109 · Updated 28 September 2026

Game rules · Community card

Greek Hold'em Rules

Greek Hold'em is dealt and bet exactly like Texas Hold'em: two hole cards, a five-card board and four betting rounds. The one difference is at showdown. Each player must make a five-card hand from both hole cards and exactly three community cards, as in Omaha, so a player can never play the board.

Also known as Tight Hold'em

Players: 2 to 10
Hole cards: 2 per player
Community cards: 5
Betting rounds: 4
Hand rule: Both hole cards plus exactly 3 board cards

Article 1Objective and equipment

1.1

The object of the game is to win the pot, either by holding the best five-card hand at showdown or by making a bet that no other player calls.

1.2

The game is played with a standard 52-card deck with no jokers. Hands are ranked according to the standard poker hand rankings. Suits have no rank.

1.3

Between two and ten players may take part.

1.4

Except where this page says otherwise, the rules of Texas Hold'em apply, including the button, blinds, misdeals and showdown order.

Article 2Blinds and the deal

2.1

The button and blinds are used as in Texas Hold'em. The player to the left of the button posts the small blind and the next player posts the big blind.

2.2

Each player is dealt two cards face down, one at a time, starting with the small blind.

2.3

The dealer burns a card before dealing each round of community cards. The board is dealt as a three-card flop, a single turn card and a single river card.

Article 3Betting rounds

The betting follows Texas Hold'em exactly.

Round	When it happens	First to act
Pre-flop	After the hole cards are dealt	The player to the left of the big blind
Flop	After the first three community cards	First active player to the left of the button
Turn	After the fourth community card	First active player to the left of the button
River	After the fifth community card	First active player to the left of the button

3.1

The game may be played at fixed limit, pot limit or no limit. The house or the players shall state the structure before play. See betting structures.

3.2

If all but one player folds, the remaining player wins the pot without showing their cards.

Article 4Forming a hand

This is the rule that makes Greek Hold'em a separate game.

4.1

Each player's hand shall consist of both of their hole cards and exactly three of the five community cards. No other combination may be used.

4.2

A player can never play the board. Five community cards, however strong, do not make a hand on their own.

4.3

A player needs at least three cards of a suit on the board and two of that suit in the hand to make a flush. A board with four or five cards of one suit does not give a flush to a player holding only one card of that suit.

4.4

The same two-plus-three rule is used in Omaha, where players hold four hole cards and choose which two to use. In Greek Hold'em there is no choice: both hole cards always play.

Example

Four of a kind on the board

Board: 9♥9♣9♦9♠K♦.

Player A holds 2♣3♦. In Texas Hold'em, A would play four nines with a king. In Greek Hold'em, A must use the 2 and the 3 with three board cards, so the best hand is 9-9-9-3-2: three of a kind.

Player B holds K♥K♠. B uses both kings with the board king and two nines: a full house, kings full of nines. B wins.

Article 5Showdown

5.1

The order of showing, the right to see a called hand and the treatment of mucked hands are as in Texas Hold'em.

5.2

Cards speak, but a hand is read only according to 4.1. A player who announces a hand that uses fewer than two hole cards has not made that hand.

5.3

Hands of the same rank are compared card by card on the five cards each player actually uses. If the five-card hands are identical, the pot is split.

Example

A flush board with no flush

Board: A♥K♥Q♥7♥2♥, five hearts.

Player A holds 5♠5♦. The best hand is 5-5 with A-K-Q: a pair of fives.

Player B holds 3♥4♣. Only one of B's cards is a heart, so B has no flush. B's best hand is A-K-Q-4-3, ace high.

Player A's pair of fives wins. In Texas Hold'em both players would have played the board's flush and split the pot.

Article 6History and related games

Greek Hold'em was described as tight hold'em in Doyle Brunson's Super/System. It was played in Memphis in the 1960s and is regarded as a stage in the development from Texas Hold'em to Omaha, which kept the must-use-two rule but gave each player four hole cards.

Texas Hold'em: the same deal, but any combination of hole and board cards may be used.
Omaha: four hole cards, of which exactly two must be used with exactly three board cards.
Pineapple: three hole cards, with one discarded.

Article 7Frequently asked questions

Do you have to use both hole cards in Greek Hold'em?

Yes. Every hand is exactly two hole cards plus exactly three community cards. You can never play the board.

How is Greek Hold'em different from Omaha?

The hand rule is the same, two from the hand and three from the board, but in Greek Hold'em you only have two hole cards, so there is no choice about which to use.

Can you make a flush with one suited hole card in Greek Hold'em?

No. Both hole cards count, so you need two cards of the suit in your hand and three on the board.

What is tight hold'em?

Tight hold'em is an older name for Greek Hold'em, used in Doyle Brunson's Super/System.

Final authority

Where any doubt remains in the application of this document, Rob is right.

Hand rankings, high to low: royal flush · straight flush · four of a kind · full house · flush · straight · three of a kind · two pair · one pair · high card. Suits never break ties.

Greek Hold'em Rules · OPR-109 · officialpokerrules.com/greek-holdem/

OPR-109Uncontrolled when printed