and the player to his/her left places a bet called
the big blind. The big blind is equal to the smaller of the two betting limits
and the small blind is half the big blind. (In a 2/4 game the big blind is $2
and the small blind is $1.) At times each player at the table may be required
to post an ante in addition to the blinds. This usually is the case in the later
rounds of tournaments and is just another forced bet. After the blinds are placed,
each player receives two cards face down, called hole cards. Starting with the
player to the left of the big blind, each player may fold, call the big blind
or raise. In limit holdem the raise can only be the lower limit ($2 in our example)
the first two betting rounds and the upper limit ($4 in our example) the last
two rounds. In no-limit, the raise can be any amount, as long as it is twice the
previous bet, up to the total you have in front of you. Play continues to the
left until everyone has either called all bets or folded.
Three cards are placed face-up in the center of the table. These are community
cards and are called the “Flop”. The community cards are used by each
player in combination with their hole cards to form a five-card hand. The second
round of betting starts at this time with the first person to the left of the
button still in the hand. Each player may either check to the next player, place
a bet, or call or raise if there has been a bet. After this round of betting,
a fourth card, called the “Turn” is placed in the center of the table,
followed by another betting round. Remember that in this round and the last one
the bets are twice the size of the first two rounds. The final card, or “River”
is placed in the center and the final round of betting takes place.
When all betting action is completed, the players use one or both of their hole
cards with the community cards to form their best five-card hand. The player with
the best hand is awarded the pot. In the case of two hands that tie for the best
hand, each of them is awarded half of the pot.
Most rooms have a maximum of three raises per betting round. A few rooms waive
this rule if the pot is down to two players. It is always a good idea to check
the rules at the room you are playing in.
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