The Flop

Once the first round of betting is complete, the dealer places three cards faceup in the middle of the table as the flop. These cards are referred to as community cards, which all players can use, along with their two holecards, to make the best possible five-card poker hand.

After the flop cards have been placed in the middle, another round of betting begins. In this round of betting, the first player after the dealer button still holding cards is first to act. In this round, there is no blind bet, so the SB player may check or bet. In no-limit  hold’em, a bet must be an amount equal to or greater than the initial big blind amount. In limit hold’em, the bet must be exactly the amount of the big blind. If everyone checks, or if a player bets and all of the other players match the bet or fold, this round of betting is complete and we move on to the turn.