Texas Hold ‘Em is a poker game variation which starts with each player being dealt with two cards that are face down. These cards are referred to as “pocket cards”. Depending on the type of betting that you have at your table, two players may have already placed their bets before these two cards are dealt. These would be the “blinds”.

Once the cards are dealt, players have the option of betting and this is usually called the “pre-flop betting round.” Each player has the option of checking or passing, raising or folding, which again depends on the structure of betting that is in play. The dealer would usually discard the deck’s top card, which is known as the “burn card”.

The dealer then flips over the three cards that are now on top of the deck and places them face up on the table and is known as the “flop”. All of the cards that are in the flop can be used by any of the players to combine with his or her cards to create the best hand. After the flop, the players again have the option to bet.

After betting, the dealer gets another card from the top of the deck and places it on the table, face up. This fourth card is known as the “turn card”. Betting can again be done by the remaining players. The fifth and last communal card, or the river, is then taken by the dealer from the top of the deck again and placed on the table, face up. The players should now form the best poker hand they can create using the “pocket cards” that they originally have been dealt with. A last round of betting is done before the players show their hands and the player who has the best poker hand wins.