How to Deal Poker Like a Casino Dealer: Texas Hold’em Step by Step, Side Pots & Misdeals

Learning how to deal poker looks easy until you are the person holding the deck.

Suddenly you need to remember who receives the first card, where the blinds go, who acts first, when to burn a card, how to build a side pot, what happens when somebody goes all-in, and whether an exposed card means the entire hand must be redealt.

A good poker dealer does much more than throw cards around the table. The dealer protects the order of play, keeps bets clear, controls the pot, prevents dead cards from returning to action and makes sure the correct player receives the chips at showdown.

This guide explains how to deal Texas Hold’em poker step by step, using a simple home-game procedure while also covering the tournament rules that cause the most disputes: misdeals, exposed cards, premature boards, heads-up dealing, side pots and showdown order.

If your group is still learning the game itself, read our complete poker rules guide alongside this article. This page focuses specifically on running the hand from the dealer’s seat.

How to Deal Poker: The Entire Hand in 30 Seconds

If you only need the basic Texas Hold’em dealing sequence, use this checklist:

1. Move the dealer button one seat clockwise.
2. Make sure the small blind and big blind are posted.
3. Shuffle and cut the deck.
4. Deal two cards face down to every player, one card at a time clockwise.
5. Run the preflop betting round.
6. Burn one card and deal three community cards face up: the flop.
7. Run the flop betting round.
8. Burn one card and deal one community card: the turn.
9. Run the turn betting round.
10. Burn one card and deal one final community card: the river.
11. Run the river betting round.
12. Conduct the showdown if multiple players remain.
13. Award the pot and move the button for the next hand.

That is the mechanical sequence. The rest of this guide explains how to do each step without creating the disputes that ruin home games.

What Does a Poker Dealer Actually Do?

A dealer has four jobs:

• Randomize and protect the deck.
• Deal cards in the correct order.
• Control the betting action and pot.
• Identify and pay the correct winning hand.

In a casino, a professional dealer performs these tasks while the dealer button moves around the table to determine position.

In a home game, the player on the button often deals the cards as well. That is fine, but remember that the dealer button determines poker position, not simply who happens to hold the deck.

If position still causes confusion, our guide to position in poker explains the button, cutoff, blinds and early-position seats in detail.

Step 1: Set the Dealer Button and Blinds

Before dealing a single card, identify the dealer button.

In a normal game with three or more players:

• The player immediately left of the button posts the small blind.
• The next player clockwise posts the big blind.

Example in a $1/$2 game:

• Small blind: $1
• Big blind: $2

Both blinds should be visible before the cards are dealt.

Do not begin pitching cards and then ask players to remember whether they posted. That is how disputes begin.

The small blind is one of the hardest positions to play correctly, which is why we have a separate small blind strategy guide. The big blind defense guide explains the responsibilities and strategic value of the second forced bet.

Step 2: Shuffle the Deck Correctly

The goal of the shuffle is not to look impressive. It is to randomize the deck and prevent any player from predicting the next card.

A solid home-game routine is:

1. Gather every card from the previous hand.
2. Make sure all 52 cards belong to the deck.
3. Mix or wash the cards face down when appropriate.
4. Use several controlled riffle shuffles.
5. Cut the deck before dealing.

Professional rooms use standardized shuffle procedures that can vary by property. Your home game does not need to imitate every casino movement, but it should use the same procedure consistently.

Keep the bottom card hidden. If your setup includes a cut card, place it underneath the deck after the cut.

A quality deck also matters more than most hosts expect. Warped or marked cards can reveal information unintentionally. Our poker chips and cards guide explains what to look for when setting up a regular home game.

Step 3: Who Gets the First Card in Texas Hold’em?

The first card is dealt to the first active player immediately to the left of the dealer button.

The dealer then moves clockwise around the table, giving every player one face-down card.

After everyone receives one card, repeat the same sequence for the second card.

Do not give one player two cards and then move to the next player.

Texas Hold’em is dealt:

one card per player, clockwise, then a second card per player.

Each player finishes with exactly two private hole cards.

Example of the Initial Deal

Imagine a six-player table:

• Seat 1: Button
• Seat 2: Small Blind
• Seat 3: Big Blind
• Seat 4: UTG
• Seat 5: Hijack
• Seat 6: Cutoff

The first card goes to Seat 2, then Seats 3, 4, 5, 6 and finally Seat 1.

The dealer repeats the same order for the second card.

This sequence matters. Accidentally beginning in the wrong seat can become a misdeal if discovered early enough.

Step 4: Who Acts First Preflop?

After every player has two cards, preflop action begins with the first active player immediately to the left of the big blind.

At a full table this position is commonly called under the gun, or UTG.

That player can usually:

• Fold
• Call the big blind
• Raise

Action continues clockwise.

The big blind normally acts last preflop if nobody has raised beyond it.

A common beginner-dealer error is beginning action with the small blind simply because that player received the first card. Do not confuse dealing order with betting order.

What If the Game Uses a Straddle?

A straddle changes the preflop betting structure and can also change who acts first depending on the house rules.

Do not improvise.

Announce the straddle rules before the session begins, especially whether:

• Only UTG may straddle
• Button straddles are allowed
• Multiple straddles are permitted
• The straddle receives last action preflop

Our article on how a poker straddle changes the game explains why that extra blind creates much larger pots than many players realize.

Step 5: Deal the Flop

When preflop betting is complete, gather all folded hands into the muck and leave the live players’ cards untouched.

Then:

1. Burn the top card face down.
2. Deal the next three cards face up together in the center of the table.

These three cards are the flop.

The burn card should remain face down and separate from the community cards.

Its traditional purpose is to protect the next live card from being identified through a mark or other information on the back of the deck.

Who Acts First on the Flop?

Postflop action starts with the first active player clockwise from the dealer button.

That usually means the small blind or big blind when they remain in the hand.

The button acts last postflop when still involved.

This same betting order is used on the flop, turn and river.

Step 6: Deal the Turn

After flop betting is complete:

1. Burn one card face down.
2. Deal one card face up beside the flop.

This card is the turn.

Run another betting round beginning with the first active player left of the button.

Step 7: Deal the River

After turn betting is complete:

1. Burn one final card.
2. Deal the next card face up.

This is the river.

The board now contains five community cards:

• Three flop cards
• One turn card
• One river card

If two or more players remain after river betting, the hand moves to showdown.

How Many Burn Cards Are Used in Texas Hold’em?

A normal Texas Hold’em hand uses three burn cards when the board runs all the way to the river:

• One before the flop
• One before the turn
• One before the river

You do not burn before dealing the initial hole cards.

You also do not burn an extra card simply because a player folded or because betting took a long time.

How the Dealer Should Manage Bets

Do not immediately mix every bet into one giant pile.

Keeping each player’s bet visible until the betting round is complete helps everyone confirm that the amounts match.

A strong dealing rhythm is:

1. Wait for each player to complete an action.
2. Clearly identify calls and raises.
3. Do not allow players to splash chips into the middle.
4. When the betting round is complete, pull the bets into the pot.

Professional tournament procedures recommend that dealers announce non-all-in bet values as action progresses. All-in amounts are normally counted when requested by a player who is facing that action.

One important rule surprises home-game players: under standard tournament procedure, dealers do not provide a formal pot count on request in No-Limit Hold’em. Pot counts are generally provided in pot-limit games. House rules can differ.

Players still need to understand the relationship between bet size and the pot, which is covered in our pot odds guide.

How to Handle an All-In

When somebody announces all-in, determine whether that player has been called and whether any players with chips behind can still bet against each other.

If only two players remain and one goes all-in and is called, no further betting is possible. In tournament play, both hands are normally tabled and the dealer runs the remaining board.

If three players remain and one is all-in while two others still have chips, do not automatically expose every hand. The two deeper players may still bet against one another and create a side pot.

How to Build a Side Pot Correctly

This is one of the most important parts of learning how to deal poker.

Example:

• Player A has $40.
• Player B has $100.
• Player C has $100.

All three players go all-in.

Player A can win only the amount that every player matched.

Each player contributes $40 to the main pot:

$40 × 3 = $120 main pot.

Players B and C each have another $60 at risk:

$60 + $60 = $120 side pot.

The pots are now:

• Main pot: $120 — Players A, B and C are eligible.
• Side pot: $120 — Only Players B and C are eligible.

At showdown, settle each pot separately.

A could have the best hand on the table and still receive only the main pot. The side pot belongs to whichever of B or C has the better hand.

Dealer Tip: Keep Side Pots Physically Separate

Do not create a side pot in your head while leaving every chip mixed together.

Build clearly separated piles and remember which players are eligible for each.

When multiple side pots exist, construct them starting with the shortest all-in stack and moving upward through each contribution level.

The goal is not speed. The goal is making it impossible to accidentally award chips to a player who was never eligible to win them.

What Is a Misdeal in Poker?

A misdeal means the initial deal contains a serious error and the hand must be restarted when the problem is caught before substantial action.

Common examples can include:

• Beginning the deal in the wrong seat
• Dealing to a seat that is not entitled to a hand
• Skipping an eligible player
• Giving a player the wrong number of cards
• Multiple hole cards being exposed through dealer error
• Finding cards in the deck that should not be there

Modern tournament rules do not treat every small dealing error as an automatic redeal.

Once substantial betting action has occurred, many errors must be handled while allowing the hand to continue. This prevents a player from effectively canceling a hand after seeing favorable or unfavorable action.

At a serious game, call the floor or use the published house rule rather than inventing a solution after money is already in the pot.

What Happens If the Dealer Exposes a Hole Card?

The answer depends on which card was exposed, how many cards were exposed and the house rules.

Under widely used tournament procedures, certain early exposed cards or multiple exposed downcards can create a misdeal, while a single later dealer-exposed card may be corrected without restarting the entire hand.

The safest home-game rule is to agree in advance that dealer errors follow a recognized ruleset rather than allowing the affected player to choose a solution.

Never let a player keep an accidentally exposed hole card simply because it happens to be an ace.

What If the Dealer Deals the Flop Too Early?

Suppose the dealer burns and puts out the flop while one player still has a preflop decision.

Do not simply leave the flop visible and tell the player to act with that information.

Current Poker TDA recommended procedure for a premature flop is to keep the existing burn card as the burn, return the premature board cards to the remaining deck stub, reshuffle that stub and deal a new flop without burning another card.

Similar corrective procedures exist for prematurely dealt turns and rivers.

The important lesson for home dealers is simple:

Never deal the next street until betting action is unquestionably complete.

What If the Dealer Forgets to Burn a Card?

Do not quietly add another burn later to “fix the order.”

Once players have acted on community cards, recognized rules generally prioritize preserving the action rather than attempting to reconstruct what the original card order might have been.

The burn card exists to protect the deck, not to guarantee some predetermined future sequence.

Pause the game and apply your agreed house or tournament procedure.

How to Deal Poker Heads-Up

Heads-up Texas Hold’em creates one rule that even experienced home-game dealers sometimes reverse.

With only two players:

• The dealer button is also the small blind.
• The other player posts the big blind.
• The big blind receives the first card.
• The button receives the last card.
• The button acts first preflop.
• The button acts last after the flop.

That last point is crucial.

In a normal multi-player hand, the small blind acts early. Heads-up, the button/small blind acts first only before the flop and gains position on every later street.

How to Conduct the Showdown

If only one player remains because everyone else folds, that player wins without needing to reveal a hand.

If multiple players reach showdown, determine who is required to show first.

Under standard tournament showdown order:

• If there was a bet or raise on the river, the last aggressor on the river shows first.
• If the river checked through, the first active player left of the button shows first.

Players can always table their cards voluntarily without waiting for order.

Properly tabled cards speak for themselves. A player saying “two pair” does not override the actual five-card hand visible on the table.

Our poker showdown rules guide covers who shows first, mucking and disputed winning hands in more detail.

How the Dealer Determines the Winning Hand

Texas Hold’em uses the best five-card poker hand available from the player’s two hole cards and five community cards.

A player may use:

• Both hole cards
• One hole card
• No hole cards when the board itself is the best five-card hand

The standard order from strongest to weakest is:

1. Royal Flush
2. Straight Flush
3. Four of a Kind
4. Full House
5. Flush
6. Straight
7. Three of a Kind
8. Two Pair
9. One Pair
10. High Card

Before dealing a game for money, you should be able to identify these immediately. Our poker hand rankings guide covers kickers, ties, flushes, straights and the best-five-card rule.

What Happens When Players Tie?

If two players have exactly the same best five-card hand, divide the pot equally.

Do not use suit ranking to break a tie in standard Texas Hold’em.

If the pot cannot be divided exactly, the odd-chip procedure depends on the house rules. Under Poker TDA rules for board games, the odd chip goes to the first eligible seat left of the button after the chip is broken into the smallest denomination in play.

State your home-game odd-chip rule before the session so a one-chip difference does not become a ten-minute argument.

Can the Dealer Touch a Player’s Cards?

Dealers should avoid unnecessarily touching live hands.

Players are responsible for protecting their own cards, and the dealer should clearly separate:

• Live hands
• Folded hands
• Burn cards
• The deck stub
• Community cards

Once a folded hand is collected into the muck and cannot be identified reliably, attempting to retrieve it can create a much larger problem.

Good table behavior helps the dealer enormously. Our poker table etiquette guide explains why protecting cards, acting in turn and keeping chips visible matter to everyone.

Eight Dealer Mistakes That Cause Most Home-Game Arguments

1. Dealing Before the Blinds Are Posted

Stop and confirm the button, small blind and big blind first.

2. Beginning Action With the Wrong Player

Preflop begins left of the big blind. Postflop begins with the first active player left of the button.

3. Mixing Bets Into the Pot Too Early

Leave current-street wagers visible until all action is complete.

4. Forgetting Burn Cards

Burn once before the flop, once before the turn and once before the river.

5. Dealing the Next Street Before Action Ends

Visually confirm every live player has completed their action.

6. Mixing Main and Side Pots

Build separate physical piles based on contribution levels.

7. Mucking Tabled Winning Cards Too Quickly

Read the hand before pushing it toward the muck. Properly tabled cards determine the winner.

8. Changing Rules During a Dispute

Decide misdeal, exposed-card, straddle and odd-chip procedures before the first hand.

Our complete home poker night setup guide is useful if you are responsible for both dealing and organizing the entire session.

How to Deal Poker Faster Without Making More Mistakes

Speed comes from repetition, not rushing.

Practice these five skills separately:

• Pitching cards accurately without flipping them
• Shuffling while keeping the deck protected
• Reading bets before pulling chips inward
• Recognizing winning hands instantly
• Building side pots from the smallest stack upward

A clean dealer who deals 25 hands correctly is better than a fast dealer who creates three disputed pots while trying to deal 35.

How to Deal Omaha vs Texas Hold’em

The basic button, blinds, community-card and betting structure of Pot-Limit Omaha looks similar to Hold’em, but every player receives four hole cards in standard PLO rather than two.

The most important showdown difference is that Omaha players must normally use exactly:

• Two hole cards
• Three community cards

Do not apply the Texas Hold’em “use zero, one or two hole cards” rule to Omaha.

How to Deal Poker FAQs

Who gets the first card in Texas Hold’em?

The first card goes to the active player immediately left of the dealer button, then dealing continues clockwise.

How many cards does each player receive?

Each Texas Hold’em player receives two private hole cards, dealt one card at a time.

Who acts first before the flop?

The first active player immediately left of the big blind acts first preflop.

Who acts first after the flop?

The first active player clockwise from the dealer button acts first on the flop, turn and river.

Do you burn a card before the flop?

Yes. Burn one card before dealing the three-card flop.

Do you burn before the turn and river?

Yes. Burn one card before the turn and another before the river.

How many burn cards are used in Hold’em?

Three burn cards are used when a hand reaches the river.

Who is the small blind heads-up?

The dealer button is the small blind in heads-up poker. The button acts first preflop and last postflop.

Can the dealer play in a home poker game?

Yes. In many home games the dealer role rotates with the button, so the person physically dealing also receives a hand.

What is a side pot?

A side pot contains chips wagered by players who contributed more than a shorter all-in player. The all-in player can win only pots to which they contributed.

What happens if a card is exposed while dealing?

The ruling depends on which card was exposed, how many cards were exposed and the house rules. Some situations require a misdeal while others use a replacement-card procedure.

What happens if the flop is dealt early?

Do not allow players to act using the premature board. Standard tournament procedures return premature board cards to the deck stub and redeal using a prescribed reshuffle process.

Who shows first at showdown?

If there was river aggression, the last aggressor normally shows first. If the river checked through, the first active player left of the button shows first.

Does the dealer decide what hand a player has?

The dealer should read and announce tabled hands, but the cards themselves determine the winner. A verbal declaration does not change the actual hand.

Final Verdict

Learning how to deal poker is not about mastering a flashy shuffle. It is about running the same clean process every hand.

Set the button and blinds before dealing. Give each player two cards one at a time. Keep preflop and postflop betting order separate in your mind. Burn once before every community-card street. Keep bets visible until the action closes. Build side pots physically. Never deal the next street early. And do not invent rules in the middle of a dispute.

A good dealer becomes almost invisible because nothing feels confusing.

The cards arrive in the right place. The action moves in the right direction. The pot contains the correct amount. The winning hand gets paid. Then the button moves and the next hand begins.

Once that process becomes automatic, you are no longer simply holding the deck—you are actually dealing poker correctly.