Terminology of a Hold’em round

Button

In Texas Hold’em the button is represented as the dealer. In the casino and during online poker, the dealer is a human or a computer there for the replacement of the button. The button moves around the table clockwise after each hand is played. The player behind the button gets his cards and places his bets last.

Blinds

Hold’em does not have an ante. Hold’em uses blind bets to play each hand. The two players that are to the left hand side of the button are required to put in the blind bets. Normally the first player will place in the small blind which is equal to half of the table’s minimum bet, so if the table was $10 / $20 limit the small blind would normally be $5 and the big blind would be double the small blind.

Dealing and betting

The hand starts with the player to the left of the button. Every player is dealt only two cards that are placed face down; these cards are called pocket cards. The first two players to the left of the button place their small and large blind bets and then the first round of betting is underway.

Flop

The flop is the next 3 cards which are laid positioned face up in the centre of the table. These cards are common cards. After these cards are placed the betting action is resumed. The action skips to the first remaining active player to the left of the button.

The Turn

This is where one more card is laid face up making the total of four cards placed on the table. Then the action starts with the player to the left of the button.

The river

This is where the final card is placed face up alongside the four other cards on the table. This is where the betting goes round the table for the final time, beginning with the first active player to the left of the button.

Showdown

After all the betting has been completed, if two or more players are still in the pot a showdown happens. This is where the remaining players turn their two cards over and try to make the best hand available to them using the any of the five cards on the table. If there happens to be two players with the same hand then the pot is shared between those players.