Let’s recap:
- The River (5th Street) has been dealt
- The fourth round of betting has completed
The Showdown
When it comes time for the Showdown, typically, the last player who bet or raised is required to reveal his/her hole cards first.
“Showdown” implies that players will “show” their hole cards, and naturally, when betting completes, you would expect players to show their hole cards so that the winner can be determined. Sometimes this happens, but, lots of times, only the winning hand is revealed.
Players who lose a hand are not required to show their hole cards. Instead the cards are mucked (thrown into the middle face down).
Protect Yourself
Showing other players your hole cards gives them information about the way you play and the types of hole cards you play.
It is in your best interest to give other players the least amount of information about your playing style as you can!
So, as a novice, you will want to protect yourself and not reveal your hole cards unless you are the winner of the hand. That said, as a novice you might not be sure who has the best hand and in that case, you’ll need to reveal your hole cards. Chalk that reveal up as a “learning experience.”
When you win…
Remember to tip the dealer. How much? Well, that fluctuates according to the size of the pot, the norm established by the other players, and the attitude of the dealer. Observe how much the others are tipping and consider how the dealer is interacting with you.
Beginner No Limit Texas Hold’em players – heck, all beginner poker players – are excited to win hands, and especially excited when we land rare poker hands like Straight Flushes, Nut Flushes, Full Houses, and Quads. Don’t show your hole cards – even if you hit one of these great hands!
And..Don’t take another person’s word for who the winner is. Muck your cards only after you have seen the winning hand and confirmed to yourself that the hand indeed beats your hand.
Playing On Line
The program will determine who the winner is, so, you have no reason to show your hand, and there is no one to tip!
Next…
The dealer pushes all the chips that were in the pot over to the winner, and, the winner stacks the chips with the rest of his/her chips.
- The Button is moved clockwise one player.
- The player immediately to the left of The Button is the Small Blind. The Small Blind puts the Small Blind amount of chips in front of him/her.
- The player immediately to the left of the Small Blind becomes the Big Blind. The Big Blind puts the Big Blind amount of chips in front of him/her.
- The dealer sweeps the blinds into the middle of the poker table as the starting pot for the next hand, deals the hole cards…And the first round of betting begins!
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