The player to the left of the dealer is called the small blind, and has to put in a bet equal to half the table minimum, before any cards are dealt. Unlike most other poker games, there's a bit of forced betting that comes in at the start of each hand. (These bets double later in the hand see below.) In no limit hold'em, there's still a minimum bet, but there is no maximum, up to and including all your chips.

For example, in a $2/$4 game, you bet $2 or raise to $4. In limit hold'em, you must bet and raise in multiples of the bet limit. Most Hold'em games are played with betting limits, called limit hold'em, or without those limits, called no-limit hold'em. To avoid confusion, we usually call the casino dealer the dealer, and the player dealer the button. In a casino, this 'dealer' doesn't actually deal the cards and handle chips the actual casino employee dealer does so. Like other variations of poker, one player is designated the dealer at the start of the game, and the deal rotates clockwise after each hand. It's one of the most fun poker variations because it's fast paced, doesn't require a lot of dealing, and has a simple set of rules. Texas hold'em, or just hold'em, is often called the Cadillac of Poker.

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