subject: Billings Poker Tournaments - Texas Holdem Flops [print this page] Texas Holdem flops refers to the dealings of the first three face-up cards to the board or to those three cards themselves in community card poker.
The three cards are dealt simultaneously following the completion of the opening round of betting. After the flop, there is a second round of betting, which is followed by the dealing of a fourth, or turn card; and a fifth, or river card. The three cards are often dealt face-down in a stack, then the stack is turned face-up and quickly slid to one side to expose all three cards, such that a player cannot be seen to be reacting to one particular card. Another betting round begins with the first active player to the left of the dealer button. The minimum bet for this round is again two dollars.
In cases when the flop is paired, players tend to get scared. They worry about the possibility of getting raised by someone with trips. The numbers show that its even less likely that your opponents have hit the board on a paired flop.
After seeing the flop deciding whether to continue playing will be your second biggest decision. It can also be one of the most costly decisions if you continue after the flop with an inferior hand. It is said that the flop defines your hand. Assuming you play your hand out to the end, it will consist of seven cards. After the flop you have seen five cards or 5/7 of the final hand. With this much of your hand completed you should have enough information to determine whether to continue.
The significance of the flop is that, a player will have seen five of the seven cards that will make up their hand at the showdown. While the flop marks the point at which players have significant information about the value of their hand, three more betting rounds are still to be played out.
