The big blind is always the minimum bet at the table and the small blind is half. The small blind is posted by the first player and the big blind by the second. The two players to the left of the dealer start with placing blind bets. Hold’em is played with two blinds (a bet before the pocket cards are received). This is to ensure that there is action with every hand. Most hands of poker begin by some form of forced betting. At the end of the hand the button is passed clockwise to the next player. The person who is dealt last is regarded as the dealer and as such is marked with a dealer button. Each player is dealt two pocket or hole cards which they consider with the five community cards to make the best possible five-card hand. Texas Hold’em is a community card game, meaning that some cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table and shared by all players.
