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TEXAS HOLD 'EM

How The Betting Works

How To Bet - Check, Call, Raise or FoldThere are four rounds of betting in Texas Holdem.

Round one occurs after the players receive their hole cards.
Round two after the flop, round three after the turn and round four after the river.

Once the fourth and final round of betting has been completed, all remaining players in the hand turn over their cards and the best five card poker hand wins. Here are the poker hand ranks.

Read through this page to get an idea of how the betting works.


Locating The Dealer

The first step in understanding the betting in Texas Holdem is to understand the role of the dealer position. Whether a dealer is provided or not, it is standard to use a dealer button to mark which player is or would be in the dealer position.

The dealer position is the most important position at the table because it designates which players post the small blind and big blind, it designates which player receives the first dealt card and it designates which player bets after the flop.

The button is moved one seat clockwise after each hand has been completed.

The first dealt card goes to the player one position to the left of the dealer. This player also posts the small blind and is the first player to act after the flop, turn and river (if still in the hand). The big blind is posted by the player two positions to the left of the dealer. See blinds below.


Dealer Button Dealer Button

A round plastic marker called the dealer "button" is placed in front of the player who is or would be dealing. In a casino or Atlanta Poker Club bar tournaments, a house dealer is provided, so the button is used to mark the player who would be dealing.

In games where the players deal themselves, it's not necessary, but still good practice to use a dealer button. Most still like to use it, because the dealer position may affect how you play your hand, so knowing where the dealer is at all times is important. If the player sets the cards down after dealing, it's hard to tell which player is the dealer. Use the dealer button to remove any doubt.


Blinds

The Blinds - Small Blind - Big Blind Instead of using an ante where everyone puts money into the pot before the hand starts, Texas Hold Em uses a small blind and a big blind. Only two players contibute to the pot before the deal. Each player will have their chance to post the blinds, as the dealer button moves one seat clockwise after the completion of each hand in Texas Holdem.

The Small Blind is the smaller bet (normally half the big blind) posted by the player one position to the left of the dealer.

The Big Blind is the bigger bet (normally twice the small blind) posted by the player two positions to the left of the dealer


The betting process goes like this...


Assume a $1 small blind and a $2 big blind.

Post the Blinds - before each player is dealt their two down cards, the player to the immediate left of the button, called the Small Blind (sb), is forced to bet $1. The player to his left and two seats to the left of the button, called the Big Blind (bb), is forced to bet $2.

Betting Round 1 - each player is then dealt their two hole cards.

The player one position to the left of the big blind is first to act. They can either call the $2 big blind, raise or fold. Continuing in turn clockwise around the table, the players can either call, raise or fold.

The small blind can also call, raise or fold. They already have money in the pot, so if they decide to fold, they lose that money. If they decide to call or raise, their blind counts towards their bet. The big blind is then the last to act. They also have the 'option' to to call any bet, raise or fold.

The blinds are played in the first round only

Betting Round 2 - the dealer turns three cards up in the center of the table. This is called the Flop.

Now, the first player to act is the first player to left of the dealer button, that is still in the hand. They can either check, bet or fold. If a bet occurs, all other players can call, raise or fold. If no bet occurs, the remaining players can check, bet or fold.

Betting Round 3 - the Turn card is dealt. Betting follows the same process as in Round 2.

Betting Round 4 - finally the river card is dealt. Betting follows the same process as in Rounds 2 and 3.

After all bets are placed, the players still in the contest reveal their hole cards and the highest 5 card poker hand wins the pot. The hand can end at any time if everyone folds except one player. The one player still in the hand wins the pot.

These are just the basics. Betting will differ slightly based on the different game variations. Be sure to also read through all of the Texas Hold Em Rules to get a better feeling for all the different nuances that are involved in this great game.

If you are brand new to texas holdem, we recommend starting out playing poker online for free, there is no risk, no embarassment and no money lost. You can play for free poker chips at all the online poker rooms on our home page here at Online Poker Reviews.


Thanks and we'll see you at the tables!

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