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Of all the poker games out there, Texas Hold 'Em is the most popular and the most widely played game of poker in the world. It is the most widely available poker game in casinos and it is unlikely you'll find many online poker rooms without Texas Holdem available. Beginning The Game - Shuffle, Deal, Blinds A game of Texas Hold 'Em poker is played with a full deck of 52 cards. At the start of each game the deck is shuffled by the dealer followed by the two players to the left of the dealer putting a predetermined amount of money into the pot before poker play begins. This is known as "posting the blinds" and typically the amount posted is 1/2 the minimum stake for the first player to the dealer's left (the small blind) and the full stake for the player to their left (the big blind). This ensures there is always something to play for with each hand. Note: in a casino, whether online or offline, the dealer is usually simulated and doesn't play any rounds. In this case a "button" is placed by each player to simulate them being the dealer for the round and it is the two players to their left who become the "blinds" for that hand. The button moves left/clockwise with each new deal. Betting Round 1 After the blinds have been posted the dealer deals 2 cards face down to each player. These are known as the "down cards" or "hole cards". The first round of betting begins with the player to the left of the player who posted the "big blind" and continues around the table. Players can either call, raise or fold when it is their turn to bet.
Fold: Decline to play that hand - to quit the round. Betting Round 2: The Flop After the initial round of betting is over the dealer discards the top card in the deck in an action known as "the burn". Burning the top card (not literally!) is done to ensure no one saw the top card accidentally during dealing/betting and is performed to ensure cheating is not possible. Following the burn, three cards are dealt face up on the table by the dealer. This is known as "the flop". These are "community cards" shared by all players. A total of five community cards will be in play by the end of the game and it is the task of all players to make the best possible hand they can comprised of the cards on the table and those they have in the hole. Following the flop a further round of betting begins, beginning once again with the player to the left of the dealer (or button). Players may now check, call, raise, or fold once more, basing their new decision based on the cards in their hand combined with those on the table. Betting Round 3 : The Turn or Fourth Street The turn card is the fourth community card to be dealt out. The dealer burns the top card and once again places the next card on the deck face upwards on the table. Players are once more able to place their bets - check, call, raise or fold once more. In games where there is an lower/upper limit stake structure it is usually at this point that the bets are raised to the upper limit. So, for example, in a $5/$10 game of Texas Hold'em the minimum bet, call or raise value would now be $20 where in previous rounds it would have started at $10. Betting Round 5 : The River or Fifth Street Following the close of the previous rounds' betting the final community card dealt - the "river card". The top card is burned once more to ensure no one saw it and the river is dealt face up on the table as the fifth and final community card. The round of betting which follows is the last and at the end of it, the winner will be declared. Winning Texas Hold'em Poker After the river card has been dealt, players can use any combination of the 5 cards on the table and the 2 they have in the hole to make the best poker hand possible. All players remaining in the game at the end of the final round of betting show their hands, starting with the player who made the first bet in that round or the player who made the last raise. And the winner is...simple: best hand wins!
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