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Welcome to the Online PokerToday Online Poker offers the most up-to-date and fascinating online poker versions. Play and master Texas Hold 'em, Stud and more popular poker variations. |
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Online Poker » Hold 'em Poker Basics
The most obvious difference between hold 'em and seven-card stud is that in hold 'em each player receives nothing but two cards face down. Five additional cards are dealt face up on the board (the table) as community cards. The players use the community cards and their two pocket cards or hole cards to build a poker hand. The hand can include one, both, or in rare circumstances none of the pocket cards.
Hold 'em doesn't have an ante. Instead it uses a rotating system of blind betting to start the pot. Each player is designated in turn as dealer for one hand. This doesn't mean the person handles the cards, but it does mean a disk called a button, puck or buck is put in front of the player. The two players to the left of the designated dealer must make blind bets to start the pot. The first player to the left makes a small blind bet which is usually half the table minimum. The first two cards are dealt, and the rest of the players must either call the big blind, raise or fold. If everyone calls, the small blind bettor must either fold or put in an additional amount to match the other bets. Both blind bettors can raise when the betting returns to them.
After everyone has either called or folded, the dealer burns a card. Then he deals three cards face up. This is known as the flop. The first remaining player to the left of the designated dealer starts the betting in this round and in every subsequent round. Another card is burned after the betting, and a fourth card is revealed. This round is called the turn. More betting, another burned card, and the last card is revealed. Players have reached the river. Anyone left either folds to the winner or there is a showdown. The hand ends. the button moves clockwise to the next player (the former little blind bettor), and the new hand begins.