Where To Sit In Hold'em Poker

The seating arrangement at the gaming table is just as important, if not more so, then the quality of the cards themselves when it comes time to place a bet.

The betting starts with the posting of the small blind by the person sitting immediately to the left of the dealer and the posting of the big blind by the person sitting immediately to the left of the person posting the small blind. These bets are called the “blinds” because the players must pay them into the pot before they look at their cards, so they are in fact betting “blind”.

The players who are required to pay the blinds into the pot shift around the table just as the dealer changes with every hand dealt, one player to the left. Once the blinds have been paid into the pot then the cards are dealt, two cards face down to every player at the table.

Once every player has two cards face down then the betting may begin in earnest. The first person to place a bet (to “speak”) is the person sitting to the left of the player who posted the big blind. The minimum bet that the player may play (post) is the value of the big blind. The player must bet a total equal to that of the big blind should he wish to remain active in the hand, this is an action known as “calling”. Should the player wish to bet a higher amount then the big blind (to raise) then he must bet at least double the amount of the big blind.

The betting then progresses clockwise around the table with all players who wish to remain active in the current hand matching the total of the highest individual amount bet. Should any player not wish to match the amount bet of the highest active player then that player would simply not do so (fold) and discard his hand to wait for the next dealt hand.

The betting continues clockwise around the table and finishes with the player who posted the big blind as the last person to “speak” during the betting round. Once all players have “spoken” and have been accounted for, the flop (three community cards face up) is then presented and the betting continues with another round for the remaining players.

Once again, the first remaining player to the left of the big blind opens the betting and must be matched (called) by all players wishing to remain active in the hand. Should anyone wish to “raise” the stakes as the betting progresses clockwise around the table then that player must bet at least double the amount of the last standing bet in the round.

The betting continues in this fashion with a fourth and fifth community card presented face up on the table with rounds of betting after each. The hand is over when there is only one player remaining to bet on the cards or when all five cards have been revealed and all subsequent betting is completed.

The winner of the hand is the last remaining player or the player with the best poker hand should there be more then one player still active when the betting is complete.

The winning hand is made from the best possible five-card poker combination out of the seven cards available to each player, including the two face-down and the five community cards face-up on the table.

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