CASINO PARTY
How to Deal Poker (Texas Hold 'Em)
Note: In Linley’s Casino, the dealer is allowed to play a hand. The dealer answers any questions about rules and ensures that all rules are followed. The dealer does not have to deal the cards but may allow the player on the button to deal the cards.
Before each game, rotate the button one player to the right (clockwise). Deal two cards to each player, face down, one at a time, starting with the player to the right of the button and proceeding clockwise. After a betting round, burn one card (place the top card of the deck face down on the table) and turn up the next three cards in the center of the table. After another betting round, burn another card and then place a fourth card face up in the center. After the third betting round, burn another card and then place a fifth card face up in the center.
During each betting round, the dealer should enforce all blinds, betting limits, and raise limits. Under standard limit rules, in the first betting round, the player to the right of the button must bet the amount designated as the small blind; the next player must bet the big blind. Each following player must call the previous bet(s), raise an amount equal to the small blind, or fold. No more than three raises (not counting the blinds) are permitted per round. The second round is the same as the first except there are no blinds. The third and fourth rounds are the same as the second, except each bet or raise is in the amount of the big blind.
In a no-limit game, the betting is the same except that bets or raises may be as large or larger than the amounts listed above. There is no limit to the number of raises in a round or to the size of a bet or raise, except that a player may not bet more chips than any active opponent has at the table. If a player wishes to make the maximum bet, they call “all in” and push all their chips into the pot or, if they have more chips than an opponent, they push in the amount of chips equal to the opponent’s holdings. If a player bets all of their chips and loses, they must leave the table. Note that if all remaining players are all-in, no further betting ensues; the remaining players turn their cards face up, and the dealer adds the remaining cards to the center. If an all-in bet is called by two or more players, the dealer can permit additional betting into a side pot. Only players who bet into the side pot are eligible to win that pot, however, all remaining players are eligible to win the main pot.
After the final betting round, the dealer determines which player has the best hand (see chart) and allows that player to collect the pot. Each player can form a hand using any combination of their hole cards and the center cards. They can use only five cards to form a hand. If there are two or more hands of the same type, break ties as described in the chart. If two five-card hands are identical (not counting suit), those players split the pot equally.
