Texas Hold 'Em: The Flop
Let’s get this out of the way first: When it comes to playing Texas Hold ‘Em, “the flop” doesn’t refer to falling to the floor in hopes the soccer/football/basketball referee will call a foul.
So stay in your chair, my friend…
In Texas Hold ‘Em, the flop is the first revealing of community cards. Three cards to be exact (the number of cards is likely why it’s called the flop, as with three cards, they sort of “flop” over.)
Ok, let’s back up for a second to put the flop into its proper context. Before the flop (and this period is called “pre-flop”), the dealer will pass out two face-down cards for each player. These cards are called the hole cards. These are your personal cards and aren’t shared with any other players. After all players get their hole cards, the betting starts. The player seated to the left of the person who paid the big blind at the beginning of the game starts the bet.
Ok, pre-flop time is over. Now the dealer deals three face-up community cards – this is called the flop. This is always done after the players have made their first bet in the pre-flop. In some venues, the dealer actually deals these cards out from the deck at the time they are used – other times (depending on the venue), the dealer will lay the cards out on the table face down beforehand, and then turn them over during the proper time.
Regardless of how it’s actually dealt, the flop is where Texas Hold ‘Em gets really interesting. At this point you might have all the cards you need to win, but it’s doubtful. Two more cards will be dealt later in the game (called the turn and the river) but now’s the time to think about your flop strategy.
As you likely know, Poker isn’t a game of winning the most hands. Sure, that’ll give you some bragging rights, but at the end of the night you either want to win the tournament, or win the most money. Poker is a game of knowing when to maximize your return by betting and folding at the right times.
So now that you’re at the flop, you likely have enough cards to decide what to do. If the chances for your hand don’t look good, then drop that hand faster than you’d drop a Texas rattlesnake (on second thought, we’d recommend not even picking up the rattlesnake in the first place, but we digress.) Oh, you can always bluff, but be sure to pick your spots carefully.
The general rule for the flop is to get at least a pair during the flop (or four of the five cards needed for a straight or flush). If you don’t have any of these, well, most good players would fold right away. This is because the chances are against you winning (of course, if that’s the case for your hand, it would be somewhat interesting if a referee DID rush in and call a foul, huh?)
Good luck on your next flop!
