Each player is dealt two cards face down. These cards are called the pocket cards. Do not show these cards to any other player, since they constitute your entire private hand.
Remember that the blinds have to put their bets in the pot before the deal. The play now starts with the player to the immediate left of the big blind and moves clockwise. Each player has three options. He can fold (muck his hand), call (keep his hand and put the correct amount of money in the pot), or raise (increase the bet by at least as much as the previous bet).

If no one has raised by the time the action comes back to the small blind, he can either fold, call (put in enough money to make up the difference between his bet and the big blind's bet), or raise at least the amount of the big blind. For example, in a $l-$4-$8-$8 game where the big blind is $2, a raise of $1 is not permitted, because all raises in poker must be for at least the amount of the previous bet.

In a structured game, the raise must be exactly the small-tiered amount. Since the blinds had to put their money in the pot before they saw their hands, they also have the option of raising themselves.

If no one has raised by the time the action gets back around to the big blind, he then has the option to raise. The dealer will ask him, "Option?" and the big blind has to answer with either "Check" ("I bet nothing more") or "I raise."

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