Texas Hold Em is the most popular version of poker played not only in casinos, but online. The dealer shuffles a standard 52-card deck. The object of this game is to get the best possible five-card poker hand, using any combination of hole cards and community cards and to win the pot. Most Texas Hold Em poker games start with the two players to the left of the dealer. These players put a predetermined amount of money into the pot before any cards are dealt, ensuring that there's something to play for on every hand. This is called posting the blinds. Most often, the first blind, the player to the left of the dealer, puts up half the minimum bet, and the second blind puts up the full minimum bet.

After that each player is dealt two cards, face down. These cards are also known as the hole cards. Betting begins with the player to the left of the two who posted the blinds. Every player can call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet. There are four betting rounds in Texas Hold em.

After the first betting round, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called burning the card and is done to ensure that no one accidentally saw the top card, and to help prevent cheating. The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These three cards are called the flop.

Five community cards will be placed face up on the table. Texas Hold em players can use any combination of the community cards and their own two hole cards to form the best possible five-card poker hand. After that there is round of betting, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer. During this and all future rounds of betting, players can check, call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.

At this moment the dealer burns another card and plays one more face up onto the table. This is the fourth community card. It is called the turn or Fourth Street. The player to the left of the dealer begins the third round of betting. The dealer burns another card before placing the final face-up card on the table. This card is called the river or Fifth Street.

Now players can now use any combination of seven cards - the five community cards and the two hole cards known only to them - to form the best possible five-card Poker hand and to win the pot. The fourth and final round of betting starts with the player to the left of the dealer. After the final betting round, all of the players remaining in the game begin to reveal their hands. This begins with the player to the left of the last player to call. This is called the showdown. The player who shows the best hand wins the pot.

Now, when you know the rules of Texas Hold em you should be more comfortable with sitting down at a table. The best way to start learning this game is to go to an online poker room and join in a game. Most online poker rooms allow you to play for free, so you can play with beginners or experienced players and the choice is yours.