Texas Hold`em rules

Texas Holdem is the most popular poker variety. The game is played with a 52 cards deck. 2 - 10 players may take part in the game. The player who collects the best combination from five cards or the player who remains in game last if everyone folds is winner. The game consists of some stages: action; also called pre-flop, flop, turn and river.
The order in the game is kept with the dealer button, which moves among the players from left to right after each delivery. The two players sited right after the dealer button, by all means have to make fixed bets before each delivery. The player sited first after the button is called small blind, he must bet half of the minimal bet. And the player sited second after the button is called big blind, he has to bet the minimal sum.
On the first stage all players receive two cards blindly. The action begins from the first player after the blinds, because those players already made their bets, and the next turn goes to the left player. Each player on this stage, seeing and graduating the level of his cards can call, raise or fold. If the pot is raised by someone or re-raised, the action continues the same order, from left to right, until all players call or fold.
After that the second stage or flop occurs, and three general cards are delivered to table’s center. Players look at the general cards and to their own cards; and then graduate the strength of their five card combination. The action starts again, this time from the small blind, and continues from left to right. Players also can choose between call, raise or fold, and now they even can check or skip if nobody bets before them.
After the action on the flop, the turn begins and one more (the fourth) general card is delivered to the table. The action continues by the same script. Now players collect their five card combination from six cards (two of their own and four general). Then comes the last stage, river, and the fifth general card is delivered. Now players collect combination from seven cards and the action continues.
Now, when all the bets are made and called or fold, the so called showdown begins; cards are shown and the strongest combination is defined. It’s true that the game doesn’t always reach the showdown stage, because many players fold their cards before that and when the last player stays in the game he is the winner and takes the bank (the all sum of bet money on the delivery). It’s important to remember and understand that in Texas Hold`em the combination should be collected from five cards!