Rules for Texas Holdem

The Start

The dealer shuffles a complete card deck. In casinos, a round disc, known as a "dealer button", moves from player to player with each hand. The button marks which player would be the dealer.

Most Texas Hold 'Em Poker games start ensuring that there's something to play for on every hand, with the two players to the left of the dealer putting a previously settled amount of money into the pot before any cards are dealt, . This is called, the "first blind" -- the player to the left of the dealer -- puts up half the minimum bet, and the "second blind" puts up the full minimum bet. Then each player is given two cards, face down. These are known as the "hole cards."

Beginning of bets

A round of betting begins with the player to the left of the two who posted the blinds. Players can call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.

The Flop

After the first betting round, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called burning the card and is done to ensure that no one accidentally saw the top card, and to help prevent cheating. The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the "flop."

After the flop, another round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer (the button). During this and all future rounds of betting, players can raise, call, check, or fold when it's their betting turn.

NOTE: Eventually, a total of five community cards will be placed face up on the table. Players can use any combination of the community cards and their own two hole cards to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.

Fourth Street

The dealer burns another card and plays one more face up onto the table. This, the fourth community card, is called the "turn" or "Fourth Street." The player to the left of the dealer (the button) begins the third betting round .

Fifth Street

The dealer burns another card before placing the final face-up card on the table. This card is called the "river" or "Fifth Street."

Final Betting

The fourth and final betting round starts with the player to the left of the dealer. Players can now use any combination of seven cards -- the five community cards and the two hole cards known only to them -- to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.

All players who remain in the game after the final betting round reveal their hands. The player who made the last raiseplayer or who made the initial bet the shows their hand first. The winner is the player with the best hand.