Preflop

The first stage of the game is known as preflop. Once the SB and BB bets are placed in front of those players, the dealer will shuffle and deal each player two cards facedown. Cards are to be dealt one at a time in a clockwise direction, from left to right. The SB receives the first card and the player with the dealer button receives the last card. These are called the players’ “holecards” or “pocket cards.”

Once all players receive their holecards, the player seated next to the BB player begins the betting round. Each player, in turn, may either “call” (match the current bet amount), “raise” (bet a larger amount that is at least double the amount of the current bet), or “fold” (quit the hand, pushing his cards, facedown, into the middle of the table, to be placed in a discard pile known as the “muck.”) The minimum or lowest amount that can be bet must be equal to the amount posted by the big blind. Players can bet more than the minimum; this is called “raising.” If a player raises, that amount will be the new minimum for this round of betting.

The betting continues around the table in a clockwise direction. When the action reaches the player in the small blind position, that player can either call the bet, by putting in additional chips to match the largest bet amount, or fold, forfeiting his chips to the pot.

The last person to act on this round is the big blind. The BB player has the option to raise, check, or fold. As long as a player has not raised the BB amount, the BB player is entitled to play the hand. By checking, the BB player is not required to place any additional chips into the pot. If the BB player wishes to raise, the betting round continues around the table until each player has matched the bet or folded his hand.