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How To Play Texas Hold 'Em Poker:
It is generally agreed that Texas Hold 'Em Poker is one of the simplest variants of the poker game, especially in comparison to the more complicated versions such as Omaha High Poker or Seven Card Stud Poker. The rules and progress of the game are relatively simple, and so this card game proves very popular as a home gambling game. All that is required is a standard fifty-two card deck and anything between two and eleven players, plus some one to act as the dealer. And, of course, there should be some form of betting taking place, whether your game uses money, gambling chips or even match sticks for the ante, Texas Hold 'Em Poker is guaranteed to provide many hours of exciting game play.
The game will begin with the two players to the very left of the dealer placing initial bets, other wise referred to as 'placing the blinds' which will determine the betting for the rest of the game, as well as providing an initial amount in the pot to start off the game play. The dealer will then shuffle a standard fifty-two deck of cards, and each player is dealt two cards face down. These two cards will become the player's 'hole' or 'pocket' cards, and will used to be form poker hands later in the game.
There is then a round of betting, with players choosing to check, raise or fold, obviously in response to their pocket cards they have been dealt. For some players may feel that they are in a position to confidently place a bet or 'raise' the bet, where as others have been dealt much less favourable cards and so are less likely to bet. In this case they will 'fold' and therefore forfeit their hand, meaning that they are actually out of the game.
Once the betting round is over, the dealer will then turn to the remaining communal cards, which remain in the deck and have not yet been dealt out to players. He will discard the top card of the deck, known as 'burning' the card, and this is designed to avoid any cheating. The next three cards are then turned face up onto the playing table- this process is known as 'the flop'. These three cards become communal cards and can be used by any player along with their pocket cards to form legitimate poker hands.
Another round of betting will follow, and once again remaining players (that is those who did not fold and forfeit after the dealing of their pocket cards) will once again opt to raise, check or fold their hand, obviously in response to the communal 'flop' cards.
The dealer will turn to the remaining deck again, and then proceed to 'burn' the top card, as with the previous dealing round. One more card is then turned onto the playing table- this is known as the 'turn' card, and can, as with the 'flop' cards, be used in addition to each player's pocket cards to form poker hands. The game proceeds with yet another betting round. The final dealing round sees the dealer, after 'burning' the top card of the remaining deck, turning one final card onto the table. This is known as the 'river' card. This card can be used in addition to any of the other four communal cards, or the player's individual 'pocket' cards to form five card poker hands. There is one final round of betting before all hands still in the game are revealed in a process known as the 'showdown'. The first player to turn his hand should be the player to the left of the last player to call, or forfeit the hand. Then as with the usual poker rules, the player with the best hand will win all of the bets in the pot.
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