Texas Hold’em and Omaha Poker are often called flop games. Unlike Stud and Draw poker variations, flop games use community cards called the flop, turn, and river. In total, the dealer puts those cards in the middle of the table for the use of all players. Each distribution of these cards prompts a new betting round, complete with new opportunities for betting and winning the pot.

The flop, turn, and river cards are the core of any Hold’em hand.

Texas Hold’em Flop

In Texas Hold’em, the game often called the Cadillac of poker, the dealer begins each hand by distributing two face-down hole cards to each player. A round of initial betting ensues, and then the dealer puts three face-up cards in the middle of the table. This group of cards is the flop, or third street.

Players in Texas Hold’em can use any or all of the cards on the board in combination with their hole cards to create a five-card poker hand. While there are still two more cards to be dealt, the flop provides an opportunity to bet with the beginnings of a five-card hand. This is called betting the flop or post-flop betting.

The simple answer to “what is a flop in poker” is that it is the first set of cards open to all players.

Texas Hold’em Turn

After the pre-flop and post-flop betting rounds, the dealer in Texas Hold’em adds one more card to the board, or the center of the table. The turn card, also called fourth street, provides another face-up card available for any or all players to use in creating the best five-card hand.

What is the turn in poker? Not only does it start another round of betting, it presents an opportunity for players to complete their straights or flushes or to hit a set or trips. In Hold’em, players can use any combination of the cards on the board and their hole cards to create the best hand, so it can open up a world of potential strategies.

Texas Hold’em River

After the turn and subsequent betting round, the dealer has one more offering. That is the turn card, or fifth street, which completes the five community cards that are all face-up and available for players to use in creating a five-card hand. The dealer then puts down the deck and waits for players to act.

When players ask “what is a river in poker,” the answers are complicated because the river can mean different things to different players. If you’re chasing a flush or straight, the river can complete that flush or straight. On the other hand, it can do that for an opponent, putting you in a position to determine if they did actually make their hand. The river is also the final opportunity to try to win the hand, either by strategic betting or bluffing. 

In addition, the river is the time for you to collect all of the information from all previous streets and put it together for a final read on your opponent(s). You may have been able to define their range by this point and calculated pot odds to help in your decision making.

Fifth street is the culmination of the hand, all of the chips waiting to be won, and the final chance to make a play for them, using all of the river poker tips in your arsenal.

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Online poker players can find a wide range of flop games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker at BetMGM. This is the ideal training ground to play at the lowest stakes and develop your flop, turn, and river strategies.

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