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 In full
casino or online Texas Holdem games, you will normally be playing with eight or nine other players. Since all games have a house dealer,
a button (a small round puck) is used to determine which player will be representing the dealer on the deal. After each deal, the button
is passed from one player to the next, rotating clockwise. The first player to the left of the button is forced to post a small blind and
the player to the left of the small blind is forced to post a big blind. The big blind is equal to one small bet and the small blind is
typically one-half the big blind. For example, in a $10-20 game, the small blind would post $5 and the big blind would post $10. (See
Poker Definitions for terms used here.)
Once the blinds are posted, each player is dealt two cards face down. The player to the left of the big blind is the first
person to act. He has three options when it is his turn. He can call a bet equal to the big blind (or one small bet), he can
raise to two small bets (in Limit Holdem), or he can fold his hand. After the player in first position acts, the next player
to his left acts. The next player can call (either one or two bets depending on the action), raise or fold. The action
continues clockwise until it is the small blind's turn to act. The small blind has the same options as the other players,
but the blind money he posted is considered live. This means that in a $10-20 game, the small blind has $5 already in the
pot and that money is applied to their bet, so if it is an unraised pot, the small blind only has to put $5 more into the
pot. The big blind has the same options as the small blind, except he has a full bet already in the pot. In an unraised pot,
he can raise or check (his big blind covered the small bet already). If the pot was raised to two bets, he can call one
more bet, fold, or reraise.
After the pre-flop betting round is finished, the dealer
burns (discards one card face down on the table)
and places three cards face up on the table. This is called the flop. All of the cards on the flop are
community cards and all
players involved in the hand can use these cards to make their best five card poker hand. The betting on the flop is almost
the same as the action before the flop. The bets are in increments of one small bet. The first person to act is the small
blind because he is the first person to the left of the
dealer button. If the small blind is not involved in the
hand, then the person who is the first person left of the dealer button acts on their hand. Action continues in a clockwise motion.
When action on the flop is completed, the dealer burns one card and places the fourth card face-up. The betting round is
almost the same as the betting round on the flop, in terms of who acts first and who acts last, except that the bets are
double. In a $10-20 game, the bets are in increments of $20. (In No Limit Texas Holdem, the size of the bets range from the
minimum blind size to all the chips you have in front of you. See
Texas Hold'em Game Structures)
The fifth and final Texas Holdem community card is called
"fifth street" or the "river".
The card is turned face up (after one card is burned) and another round of betting incurs. The round of betting is identical to the betting
round on the turn. The "river" is the last card of the hand. When all the betting is completed, all players involved in the hand
must turn their hands up and make the best poker hand out of the seven (two in each hand and five on the board) available. The best
poker hand is awarded the pot. The dealer button is moved one spot
to the left and the next hand begins.
Texas Holdem Rules: English,
Danish,
Dutch,
French,
German,
Spanish,
Swedish,
Portuguese,
Italian,
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