The Player To The Left Of The Two Blinds Acts First
July 22nd, 2009 | 
Author: Now the blinds have been posted, and the dealer has dealt out each player's first two cards. Then, to begin the first round of play, the player to the left of the big blind acts first. Technically, the two blind bettors have "acted" first, by posting their bets, but because their "action" is involuntary, the player sitting to the left of the big blind is really the first player who faces a decision, and the first who will take some kind of voluntary action, as he sees fit.
Note that the blinds are posted only before the very first betting round. After that, the player closest to the button's left (the one who had posted the small blind on the first round) is the first to act, if he is still in the hand.
During the first betting round, the player to the left of the posted blinds has just three options: calling the bet (matching the big blind), raising the bet (to exactly double the big blind), or folding his hand. (All calls or raises are placed in front of the player, in the pot, so that you can keep track of who has put in what: when the betting on a round is done, then you drag it all into the pot.) Usually, players fold by gently tossing or sliding their cards into the middle of the table facedown, without comment; but a verbal declaration—saying simply, "I fold"—is also acceptable and is considered binding: you must then release your hand. Although poker involves a great deal of deception, if you state that you're taking an action, you must follow through. You can't say "I fold" and then, after hearing a sigh of relief, push chips into the pot to make a bet. Similarly, you can't say "I raise" and then toss in your cards instead.
The next player to act has the same three options as the preceding player: he may call, raise, or fold. The next player to act also has the same options—call, raise, or fold—and so on until the action in the first round of betting is complete. Once the action is completed, the first round is over. (By the way, if you follow my advice in the chapters on strategy, you will be folding frequently on the first round of betting, as Hold'em is a real game of patience.)
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Two Poker Cards Are Dealt, Facedown
Once the blinds are posted in the pot (directly in front of the players), the dealer deals two cards facedown to each player, one card at a time. The position of the button and the two blinds determines whose turn it is to act first during a hand of Texas Hold'em. (The illustration shows a poker table with players sitting around it, the blinds posted and two down cards in front of each player.) The cards that have been dealt are your own "private" cards, often called hole cards; take care not to let your neighbors see them. They belong to you and you only for the duration of one hand, and as soon as you see them, you should begin assessing the strength of your hand. Later on in the hand, the dealer will be dealing cards faceup in the middle of the table, where everyone can see them. This isn't a mistake: these later cards are community cards, and I'll explain how they fit into the dealing and the betting in just a moment.
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