A dealer button is used to represent the player in the dealer position; the dealer button rotates clockwise after each hand, changing the position of the dealer and blinds. The small blind is posted by the player to the left of the dealer and is usually equal to half of the big blind. The big blind, posted by the player to the left of the small blind, is equal to the minimum bet. In tournament poker, the blind/ante structure periodically increases as the tournament progresses.

Two cards are dealt to every player face down, the small blind receives the first card and the deal proceeds clockwise from there. These two cards are the player’s hole cards, and remain private for the entire hand until the showdown. Texas Hold em uses a standard 52-card deck.

The first betting round takes place “pre-flop”, and begins with the player to the left of the big blind and continues clockwise. The round of betting goes on until every player has folded, gone “all-in”, or called the other players’ bets. The blinds that were put in before the hands were dealt are considered a part of what the player must put in in order to play. So the player who is in the big blind may either check or raise if no one else has raised.

After this initial round, the dealer puts out a flop, three face-up cards which are used by every player. Then a second round of betting takes place, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.

Then comes another community card, called the turn or fourth street, is dealt face up. This is followed by a third round of betting and then a final community card, the river, is placed face up. A final round of betting takes place and then the showdown, if there are still two or more players left.

If the best hand is shared by more than one player, then the pot is split equally among them, with any extra chips going to the first players after the button in clockwise order. It is common for players to have closely-valued, but not identically ranked hands. Nevertheless, one must be careful in determining the best hand; if the hand involves fewer than five cards, (such as two pair or three of a kind), then kickers are used to settle ties. The card’s numerical rank is of sole importance; suit values are irrelevant in Hold’em. Official Texas Hold em rules say that the last player to bet is the first player to show their hand.

I’ve got full poker room reviews and more information about the official Texas Hold em Rules. Click the link to find all Texas Hold em Rules.