The role of the dealer at Holdem Poker

The first step in understanding how the betting cycle works in Holdem Poker is to understand the role of the dealer in the game. House draw poker games are usually played with one of the players dealing the cards, with the deal always rotating clockwise. Since Holdem Poker hit the scene, the house always deals on behalf of the players, and the player who the dealer is dealing for is known as being on the button.

The dealer's position has a great affect on how the hand is played because it also decides which players post the small blind and big blind, as well as who gets dealt to first, who bets first and last going into the flop. After each hand,
the button is moved clockwise. Each hand is played with a single 52-card deck. Before dealing each sequence, (pre-flop, and flop, Fourth Street and river card) the dealer will always fold two cards as part of the rules. The dealer will also help a player in counting their chick stack, and transferring all the chips to the player who wins the hand (live games only)