iPoker and Blackjack:

• Home
• Texas Hold'em
  • Introduction
  • First steps
  • Pre-flop
  • Flop
  • Turn & River
  • Bluff & Stack
  • To Conclude
  • Terminology
• Blackjack
  • Introduction
  • Rules
  • Variations
  • Strategy
  • Counting
  • To Conclude
• Casinos online
• Casinos in the world
  • Europe
  • North America
  • Central America
  • Africa
  • Oceania

Texas Hold'em - First Steps

Firstly, it’s important to define the role of the dealer. He is the one who deals the cards.

The player on the left of the dealer places a small blind and the player on his left (two position on the left of the dealer) places a big blind, that is equal to double the small blind.

Both these blinds are compulsory and they have a specify function very different from the traditional poker. They allow to have at least one player who plays a hand and at least two players who place a bet.

You have to consider big blind is also the lowest bet to play a hand. In hold’em tournaments exists levels as well. A level is a period of time (usually in minutes) in which small and big blinds are expressed in a determinate amount of chips. Once this time turned out, the blinds doubled.

This kind of mechanism has a specify purpose, that is to undermine the stack (the amount of chips every players have in from of him) to stimulate players to bet instead of waiting for better cards.

Play begins with each player being dealt two cards face down, with the player in the small blind receiving the first card. He’s the first player to begin the hand and his position is defined “under the gun”.

At this point, every players, including the small blind, can act choosing one of this possible moves:

1. FOLD – To fold is to discard one's hand and forfeit interest in the current pot
2. CALL – To call is to match previous bets. This allow a player to stay in the hand
3. RAISE – To raise is to increase the size of the bet required to stay in the pot, forcing all subsequent players to call the new amount if they wish to remain in
4. RE-RAISE – A player making the second (not counting the open) or subsequent raise of a betting round is said to re-raise
5. ALL-IN – When a player bet all of his chips in a current hand he declares himself all in

The round of betting stops when all players have either folded or called the last raise. After the pre-flop betting round, a series of community cards are dealt:

1. FLOP – The first three community hold'em cards dealt face up in the middle of the table for everyone to see and use. The flop is followed by a second betting round. This begins with the player to the dealer’s left who can decide to fold, to call, to raise or an all-in.
2. TURN – The dealer deals a fourth card to the board, called turn card or fourth street. At this point, assuming there remain at least two players taking part in the hand, the turn can be followed by the last phase
3. RIVER – A final single community card, called the river or the fifth street, is dealt, followed by a fourth and last betting round. Assuming there remain at least two players taking part in the hand, then a showdown occurs. In showdown, remaining players expose and compare their hands to determine the winner or winners.

Despite the fact than the above account may sound confusing to beginners, it is anything but. It will result easier when you will play. I suggest you: firstly, to reread very carefully this chapter trying to imagine to be into the play; secondly, beginners should start training himself or herself in betting mechanisms playing with demo hold’em