How to Deal Texas Holdem

Texas Holdem recently has become one of the more popular versions of poker. If you're hosting a home game or just playing a casual game with friends, you should know the correct way to deal the cards.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Playing cards
• Poker chips

1. Shuffle the deck twice, and then "strip" it. To strip the deck, hold the cards in one hand. Remove one-third of the cards from the top of the deck and set them on the table. Remove another third, and lay it on top of the first third. Lay the remaining cards on top. Finally, shuffle the deck one more time.

2. Deal 2 cards face down to each player. Beginning with the player on your left, the dealer will deal 1 card per person, moving clockwise. Repeat for the second card.

3. Instruct the players to begin betting, opening with the person to the left of the Big Blind. Once the betting is done, push the bet chips to the center of the table. Set 1 card aside out of play, and turn 3 cards face up. This is called the "flop."

4. Let the players place their bets again, and push the bet chips into the pot. Lay 1 card face down and 1 face up. The face-down card is out of play, and the face-up card is called the "turn."

5. Push the bet chips to the middle and set another card face down and out of play after the players complete another round of bets. Turn 1 more card face up. This is called the "river."

6. Allow the players to make one final round of bets. Push the final bet chips into the pot and ask the players to reveal their cards. Determine the winning hand and push the pot toward the winner.

Tips & Warnings

• Before the game begins, count the cards in the deck to make sure there are none missing.
• Don't allow players to throw their chips directly into the pot when betting. It's easy to lose track of betting when this is done. Ask them to place their bets directly in front of them.

Resources

• Be a dealer with an advanced poker vocabulary by learning these terms.