In Texas Holdem, the initial step is to get the card game started, and for this the players put out a specific sum of money. ‘Posting the blinds’ is the frequently used saying for this play. In the following step, the dealer shuffles the deck of cards and deals two cards face down to all players. A normal deck of 52 cards is used. After the deal, there is the first round of betting. This round is often referred to as a "pre-flop".
After the first wagering sequence, the first card of the deck is thrown away. This thrown away card is known as the "burn card", and this is done to guarantee that there is definitely no cheating. The next 3 cards are then flipped face up on the poker table. These cards are ‘the flop’. Now comes a second sequence of betting, after which the dealer burns a further card and flips 1 more card onto the table. After this, players can use the sixth card to form a five-card poker hand.
A further sequence of betting follows, and in a number of styles of games, here is where the bet amount increases. There is another round of throwing away a card, and a final deal of a card face-up on the poker table. This is called the "river". Gamblers can now use any of the five cards on the board, and/or the 2 cards in their hand, to assemble a 5card poker hand.
To wrap it up there’s another round of wagering. Then, all the players left begin to reveal their hands. This is referred to as the "showdown". Obviously, the player who shows the strongest hand wins. When competitors have equal hands a sharing of the winnings is used.
Holdem is a basic game to understand, but to achieve prowess it requires a large amount of studying.
