Texas Hold'em Game Round

Before the Game: Similar to land-based Hold 'em poker games, in online Hold'em the table can have as many as 10 players. One of these players will have a button marked "D" in front of their position, also known as the dealer button. This button indicates that the two players sitting to the immediate left must post "blinds".

Although this button stems from the custom in land-based play whereby the players themselves took turns dealing cards, in online play that task is carried out by a virtual dealer whose sole function in the game is to deal cards.

Blinds: In order to guarantee money in the pot for whoever wins the game, blinds are posted before the pocket cards are dealt. The two players sitting to the immediate left of the dealer button must go first, but to maintain fairness, the dealer button moves counterclockwise after each hand so that every player post blinds at some point during the game. The "small blind" is equivalent to half of the minimum stake (e.g. $2.5 for a $5/$10 game) and is posted by the player sitting to the left of the dealer button. The "big blind" is equivalent to the full amount of the minimum stake (e.g. $5 for a $5/$10 game) and is posted by the player sitting to the left of the small blind.

Pocket Cards: Once the blinds have been posted, players are each dealt two face-down pockets cards.

1st Betting Round: The player sitting to left of the big blind begins the betting round, which proceeds in a clockwise direction. Players may choose to either "fold", "call" or "raise". At this stage, the maximum raise is set according the lower table stake, e.g., $5 in a $5/$10 game.

The Flop: Three community cards, known as "the flop", are dealt face-up.

2nd Betting Round: Same rules as round 1 above.

The Turn: The fourth community card, known as "the turn", is dealt face up.

3rd Betting Round: Proceeds similarly to rounds 1 and 2 above, however table stakes are set according to the higher amount, e.g., $10 in a $5/$10 game.

The River: The fifth community card, known as the "the river" is dealt face-up.

4th Betting Round: The final betting round. Same rules as round 3 above.

The Showdown: If you prefer not to show your hand you can opt to "muck" at this stage, which simply means to fold your cards. In order to win you must have the highest ranking 5-card hand, which can be made up of your pocket cards and/or any of the community cards. In the event that players have equal ranking hands, the pot will be split between them.

Start Over: The next game commences with the dealer button moving one seat to the left.

Betting System: The betting round always proceeds in a clockwise direction, beginning with the player sitting to the left of the big blind.

Fold: Choosing to fold after you have posted a blind, bet, or raised, effectively means you have lost that money, and that you cannot re-enter the game until the next hand.

Check/Call: Checking does not require placing additional money in the pot, and is only possible if no other player has placed a bet before you. If they have placed a bet, and you would like to continue, you must either "call" (bet the same amount), or raise.

Bet/Raise/Re-raise: In each betting round a maximum of one bet and three raises may be made (bet, raise, and two re-raises), at which time the round is capped and the next community card is dealt. As mentioned above, betting amounts are determined by the table stakes. The first two rounds are limited to the lower stake and the latter two rounds to the higher stake, e.g. $5 and $10, respectively, in a $5/$10 table.

All-in: If you run out of chips but would like to continue playing a hand that you believe stands a chance of winning, you can choose to go "all-in" instead of folding. The pot will then be divided into main and side pots, and any further chips are placed in the side pot. In the event that you win the game, you'll receive the main-pot and the second best hand will receive the side pot. If more than one player chooses to go all-in, then additional side pots are created and divided according to the top-ranked hands and the order in which the players went all-in. If a player who did not go all-in has the top-ranking hand, that player wins both the main and side pots.

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