 There
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
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
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!
*Sign
up for our Newsletter and get access
to 10 Free Videos for Online Poker Players
- Free Online Training School.
KAP
|
