The rules of poker are very simple, even for a beginner, five minutes are enough to learn them. After a few hands, you’ll feel like you’ve been playing poker your whole life! That’s why poker is so popular among all gambling games. Nevertheless, you should not neglect the rules; as in any game, there are nuances that are better to learn in advance in order not to look absurd later. In this article, we will start with the simplest and inform you who acts first in poker after the cards are dealt.
The order of players’ acts in poker
For a person who decided to play poker for the first time in his life, it is necessary to understand the sequence of actions to understand what is happening and choose the right further strategy according to the situation. At the very beginning of the game, the participants receive two closed cards. After that, the question arises – who acts first in poker?
In poker, the counting of players’ positions at the table begins with the dealer, the player who deals with the cards. The positions of the two players to the left of the dealer are called the small blind and the big blind. Usually, the small blind’s bet is half the bet of the big blind (for example, 1 and 2 chips).
It’s the blinds that create the dynamics of the game. After all, if there were no mandatory bets, all players would simply wait for the strongest cards and start placing bets only then. That would be the most advantageous strategy because you wouldn’t lose anything by continually flipping cards.
Then, to understand who acts first in poker, it is important to know that all moves are made in strict order – clockwise. On the pre-flop, the first player to sit behind the big blind is always the first to act. The player to the left of the dealer moves first in subsequent betting rounds. The next betting round occurs when the players who want to continue to fight for the pot have equal amounts of money deposited.
The order of cards opening
To completely close the question of who acts first in poker, it is also worth knowing about the order of opening cards in this game.
These rules are often confusing for new poker players, but if you play poker online there is no need to worry, as the order will be clearly calculated for you. And in a live game, you can easily rely on the dealer. However, if you want to feel confident and rely only on yourself, so as not to look ridiculous, it is better to know all the subtleties of the game. So if there are several players left in the game, the first to open is the player who bet last. If there were no bets on the river, the first player who is clockwise from the button shows his hand first.
