The River – The Rules of the Poker River

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The river is the final round of the hand and the last chance for players to improve and do some betting.

The dealer places one last card face up, the river card, in the middle of the table.

Once the fifth community card, the river, is revealed, the final round of betting begins. Like the previous two rounds, the betting  begins with the first player to the left of the dealer who is still in the hand.

Again, for no limit poker, any player wishing to bet must make a bet equal to or larger than the big blind that was placed during the preflop round (the first round of a hand of poker).

In limit poker, the player must make a bet of two times the original big blind in this phase of the hand.

Players can bet and take action until either everyone has checked, called, or folded.

Once the action has completed, there is a showdown to determine the winning hand. If one person bets and all of the other players fold, the hand ends and a showdown is not necessary (because the betting player wins the pot uncontested).

Continue reading about the rules of the final phase in a hand of poker called the showdown.