One of the many reasons Hold’em Poker displays so much charm is the fact that bets/wagers must be placed before the cards are even dealt. The antes and blinds are predetermined with the small blind always being half of the big blind. When it comes to tournaments, as the game progresses the values of the antes and blinds also raise to pre-determined increments. This method of Poker plays a major factor in Hold’ems popularity.


Hole cards

Hole cards are the first two cards dealt face down to each player. This starts with the player to the left of the dealer button. Once each player has their hole cards in front of them, betting begins starting at the player to the left of the big blind. From that point it follows in a clockwise rotation.

Round of play

During a turn, players will then have the option to fold (meaning discarding thus taking no further action in the game), calling (matching the largest wager currently on the table) or raise (increasing the size of the wager of the table). When playing limit holdem poker, the raises are made according to pre-determined limits. When playing in no limit holdem poker, players can raise up to a maximum of all chips.

Once the players complete the actions needed and all wagering is done, the dealer then deals three cards face up in the centre of the table. It’s these three cards that are known as the "flop".  Players then use these cards, in combination with their hole cards, to begin making a hand and determine the strength of their holding based on the current cards in play.