While poker is often the focus of most casino poker games, Texas hold ’em is an excellent alternative in that the focus isn’t so intense as with other games. While casino poker games tend to have a higher / lower “edge” depending on the game and the players, Texas hold ’em is often much more equal. The best explanation of the superior advantage is that you have the good fortune of playing with some very high quality people for an extended period of time, paying out larger sums to those who play more skillfully than others.
In casino poker games like Texas hold ’em, a player is dealt two cards by the dealer, one face down, one face up, followed by a round of betting. Typically, the first two players to the left of the dealer put in a bet and are called the Vegas88. The player to the immediate left of the dealer is the small blind and the player to the left of the small blind is the big blind. In poker games at all other levels the blinds are always set at the appropriate levels.
The first round of betting, after the deal, begins with the player to the left of the big blind in the hole (the small blind), who has the option of calling, raising or folding. Once this betting round is complete, the dealer deals three cards face up on the table, or just as in the regular passline, one card face down and one card face up. This is now called the flop. The flop is three cards, the turn and one more card, the river. The four community cards, (the shared cards), can be used by any player in combination with the two cards in their hand. There are now 4 cards in the middle of the table, in no particular order.
The player to the left of the dealer starts another round of betting, starts to act as though they had missed their turn and randomly check their left hand for further cards. Now comes the fourth card or the river, played face up. This is the time where the players usually show their poker hand, trying to reveal their best hand. Since the cards are face up and in plain view of all the players, there is a much greater chance of someone making a good bluff. The player to the left of the dealer starts another round of betting and starts to act as if they had missed their turn.
All the way through the preceding cards being turned face up, each player has taken a look at their hole cards and has made a decision on how to act. After the last card is turned face up, there is one final round of betting, starting with the first person to the left of the dealer still holding cards. After this betting round, each player still in the hand folds and everyone who wasn’t in the hand folds as well. Then the showdown. If more than one player is left in the hand after the final round of betting, all the players split the pot.
And that’s it. Pretty simple stuff. Once you master the basics, the degree to which you practice the rules of the game will determine your ultimate skill level.