The Poker Deal
Playing Poker is easy, once the player already has a good grasp and understanding of the basic rules of Poker.
To start a Poker game, someone must deal the cards. But who deals first in a Poker game?
In a casino or a salon, a professional dealer is employed to man the Poker table. The Poker dealer in casinos ensures that fairness and the integrity of the Poker game is observed and maintained at all times. Poker dealers are very important since they must also see to it that Poker players abide by the rules, and to ensure the smooth flow of the game.
In the absence of a professional Poker dealer, the dealer is determined by cutting the deck of cards. The Poker player with the lowest card automatically becomes the dealer. In cases when there are two Poker players with the same card values, the procedure is repeated until a Poker dealer is decided.
The dealer button, sometimes called the 'buck", is used in most clubs and casinos to indicate who has the status of a dealer in each hand. But since a professional Poker dealer will be distributing the cards, the button moves one place to left after each hand to make it clear who receives the first card and who will make the first bet in the particular hand.
The phrase "passing the buck" is derived from this act of passing the dealer button clockwise around the Poker table, as the game goes on.
The Poker dealer must always shuffle the deck before each hand. The Poker dealer must be careful not to expose any card to other Poker players on the Poker table. After shuffling, it is customary for the Poker dealer to pass the deck of cards to his right so the cards may be cut.
To cut the deck of cards, simply pick up the top half of the deck and place it down on the Poker table. Then place the bottom half of the deck on top of it.
The Poker dealer ensures that Poker players are required to "ante-up" in advance (place their chips in the pot). "Ante" is a compulsory opening bet.
Starting with the player on the Poker dealer's left, the Poker dealer distributes the cards, one at a time, from the top of the deck to each player in turn, working clockwise around the Poker table. Distribution stops when all Poker players have the required number of cards, usually 5 to 7 cards, depending on the Poker variation.