How to Deal Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold’em is perhaps the most popular card game played in online casinos and poker rooms. But how do you know how the game is dealt? And how do you know whether there are some irregularities going on when you are dealt your cards? Some basic knowledge on the rules of Texas Hold’em is called for.

Texas Hold’em: The Deal

In Texas Hold’em, each player is dealt two cards that serve as their personal hand. These cards are called the pocket or hole cards. After this, the first round of betting begins with the third player to the left of the dealer.

When the first Texas Hold’em betting round is completed, the dealer deals three boardcards face up at the center of the table. This is called the flop and is used by the Texas Hold’em players to make up their hand. At this point, players have the options to bet, raise, check, or fold, depending on the odds they have of making a Texas Hold’em poker hand.

When the flop is turned, the second Texas Hold’em betting round ensues, beginning with the player immediately to the left of the dealer. (In Texas Hold’em, the dealer is determined by who is holding the dealer button. This button is then moved in a clockwise manner to ensure that every one gets the opportunity to deal the cards.)

After the second Texas Hold’em betting round, the dealer discards the top card in the deck. In Texas Hold’em, this is called “burning” the card to avoid cheating. After the card is burned, the dealer now reveals the fourth shared or community card called the turn. Another betting round begins and when it is completed, the dealer again burns another card and flips over the fifth card. In Texas Hold’em, this card is called the river.

So now that all the community cards are revealed, the players can now make up the best combination from the seven cards they can see ( 2 pocket cards and 5 community cards). A final betting round begins, after which, the showdown occurs. In Texas Hold’em, the showdown is when all the players reveal their hands. The one with the best hand wins the game.

Texas Hold’em: Dealing Irregularities

There are cases where irregularities occur during the dealing of the cards. When these situations arise, there are specific poker rules to help or guide you.

If the first pocket card dealt is exposed, this is called a misdeal in Texas Hold’em. The dealer retrieves the exposed card, reshuffle, and recut the deck. When any other pocket card is exposed due to an error on the part of the dealer, the Texas Hold’em deal continues with the exposed card used as the first “burn” card. If more than one pocket card is exposed, this is considered a misdeal and a redeal must occur.

In Texas Hold’em, if there are too many cards contained in a flop, a redeal must occur. A redeal is also called for when the flop is prematurely exposed before the Texas Hold’em betting round is completed. During the redeal, the flopped cards are mixed with the cards left in the deck while the burn card remains on the table. After shuffling the cards, the dealer cuts the deck and deals a new flop without burning a card.