The Button
If you have seen Texas Hold Em being played then you have probably seen the little white disk that moves around the table with each deal of the cards. This disk is known as The Button, and it represents where, in poker theory, the dealer of the cards would be sitting if the cards were actually being passed around the table.
Except in home games the cards for Texas Hold Em are not passed around from player to player. A non-player (usually a casino employee) will deal the cards out and keep track of where the button is suppose to be at any one time.
But the Button has far more significance than just telling us who would be dealing if we were passing the cards around the table. Knowing how to play the Button and how it affects your play as it moves around the table is, perhaps, one of the most important poker theory lessons a new player can learn.
When you sit down at a table, in real life or in an online game room, you will see the dealer himself. This is the person dealing the actual cards. In casinos and online poker rooms, the dealer of the cards does not play in the game, he simply deals out the cards and keeps track of what is happening on the table. Somewhere on the table you will also see a white disk that may or may not say Dealer on it. This is the Button, and as mentioned above it moves around the table with each deal and a lot of poker theory has been written about it.
To start a new game, two Blind bets are put up or posted. The player who is sitting immediately to the left of the The Button must post the small blind which is one-half the minimum bet for the particular game you are playing. The player sitting to the left of the small blind must post the big blind which is equal to the full minimum bet for the particular game you are playing. The rest of the players do not have to put up any money yet (unless you are playing with antes which is normally not done in online game rooms). Because the deal rotates around the table, each player will eventually act as the big blind, small blind, and have the button.
After the blinds have been posted, each player is then dealt two cards, face down, with the player on the small blind receiving the first card and the player with the dealer button getting the last card. The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind either putting in a full bet to Call the blind bet, or putting in more money in order to raise the big blind. He can also fold his hand, which means he will not play this game.
The betting goes around the table in order until it reaches the player who posted the small blind. That player can call the bet by putting in the other half of the minimum bet in which case he is calling. Or he can raise or fold.
The last person to act is the big blind. If no one has raised, the dealer will ask if they would like the option. This means the big blind has the option to raise or check. By checking the player does not put in any more money.
After the first betting round is completed, the Flop is dealt and another round of betting begins with the first active player (players who have called the big blind) to the left of the button.
At the end of the hand, the Button moves one seat clockwise as well as the big and small blinds. This sounds more confusing than it is. Once you have seen the Button in action and how the blinds are posted with each hand, you begin to see how poker theory begins to play out depending on where you are sitting in relation to the button.
Except in home games the cards for Texas Hold Em are not passed around from player to player. A non-player (usually a casino employee) will deal the cards out and keep track of where the button is suppose to be at any one time.
But the Button has far more significance than just telling us who would be dealing if we were passing the cards around the table. Knowing how to play the Button and how it affects your play as it moves around the table is, perhaps, one of the most important poker theory lessons a new player can learn.
When you sit down at a table, in real life or in an online game room, you will see the dealer himself. This is the person dealing the actual cards. In casinos and online poker rooms, the dealer of the cards does not play in the game, he simply deals out the cards and keeps track of what is happening on the table. Somewhere on the table you will also see a white disk that may or may not say Dealer on it. This is the Button, and as mentioned above it moves around the table with each deal and a lot of poker theory has been written about it.
To start a new game, two Blind bets are put up or posted. The player who is sitting immediately to the left of the The Button must post the small blind which is one-half the minimum bet for the particular game you are playing. The player sitting to the left of the small blind must post the big blind which is equal to the full minimum bet for the particular game you are playing. The rest of the players do not have to put up any money yet (unless you are playing with antes which is normally not done in online game rooms). Because the deal rotates around the table, each player will eventually act as the big blind, small blind, and have the button.
After the blinds have been posted, each player is then dealt two cards, face down, with the player on the small blind receiving the first card and the player with the dealer button getting the last card. The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind either putting in a full bet to Call the blind bet, or putting in more money in order to raise the big blind. He can also fold his hand, which means he will not play this game.
The betting goes around the table in order until it reaches the player who posted the small blind. That player can call the bet by putting in the other half of the minimum bet in which case he is calling. Or he can raise or fold.
The last person to act is the big blind. If no one has raised, the dealer will ask if they would like the option. This means the big blind has the option to raise or check. By checking the player does not put in any more money.
After the first betting round is completed, the Flop is dealt and another round of betting begins with the first active player (players who have called the big blind) to the left of the button.
At the end of the hand, the Button moves one seat clockwise as well as the big and small blinds. This sounds more confusing than it is. Once you have seen the Button in action and how the blinds are posted with each hand, you begin to see how poker theory begins to play out depending on where you are sitting in relation to the button.
posted by JustDoItNow at
5:54 AM
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