Matthew French

Rules of Texas Holdem Poker

Texas Hold'em is by far the most popular variant of poker in the world. One of the possible reasons for this is that in comparison to other games such as 7 card stud and Omaha High, the game is easy to learn. Texas Hold'em places a lot of emphasis on the player's starting hand, which determines who the winner of the game is. When playing Texas Hold'em each player is required to take turns as the dealer.

The first part of the game involves the dealer button which indicates who among the players is the dealer. Once the dealer at the start of the game is determined, the dealer shuffles a complete deck of 52 playing cards. The dealer is then responsible for dealing two cards face down to each player, these are called pocket cards. The pocket cards must not be revealed to other players during the course of the game.

After the pocket cards are dealt, the first betting round is initiated by the player to the left of the dealer. This is the part of the game where the 'small blind' and the 'big blind' are placed. Players can check, raise or fold. 

After the first round of betting, the dealer discards the top card of the deck, this is called a burn card and is done to prevent cheating. The dealer then deals three community cards face up to the center of the table. These cards are called the 'flop'. The second betting round will now start, again the players can check, raise or fold.

After the second round of betting, the dealer will burn the top card again and deal a fourth community card, called the 'turn'. The players will use these four community cards and their two pocket cards to start building their 5-card poker hand.

A third betting round will commence where players can check, raise or fold and after which the dealer will burn the top card and turn over the fifth and final community card, this card is called the 'river' and will signal the players to start the final betting round (again players can check, raise of fold). At the showdown, after the final betting round is complete, the players remaining at the end reveal their poker hands.

Poker is suddenly hot and hip and is played by an increasing number all over the world. The increased media coverage of high-stakes poker tournaments, such as the World Series of Poker has contributed towards the games soaring popularity. Hopefully this article has given you the necessary knowledge for you to start playing.

Article Tags: Pocket Cards, Check, Raise

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