Gambling terms, explained straight

Poker

Poker dealing rules

Poker dealing rules govern how cards are distributed to players and the order or procedure used to do so.

Also called
deal, dealing procedure4
Applies to
All poker games and variants, including draw and community-card poker13

Key points

  • The dealer distributes cards according to the variant’s rules, which may involve one or multiple stages with betting rounds between them.13
  • In some games, the dealer also determines or announces the variant to be played for that deal.25
  • Draw poker deals cards in multiple stages, with players discarding and receiving replacements after the first betting round.6

Where this term is used

Poker Poker betting rules Rules that govern how players place bets during a hand. Poker Pl o poker rules Rules specific to Pot-Limit Omaha, a community-card poker variant. Poker Poker rules dealer The role and responsibilities of the person who deals the cards. Poker Poker raise rules Rules that specify how and when a player may increase the current bet. Poker Straddle poker rules Rules for a voluntary blind bet made before the cards are dealt. Poker Poker hold em rules Rules for Texas Hold 'Em, the most popular community-card poker game.

Sources

  1. Poker Rules - Pagat pagat.com Provides the definition and scope of poker dealing rules.
  2. The Deal pagat.com Describes the dealer's role in determining the variant.
  3. Texas hold 'em en.wikipedia.org Details dealing procedures in Texas hold 'em.
  4. Glossary of poker terms en.wikipedia.org Lists the term 'deal' as a synonym.
  5. Dealer's choice en.wikipedia.org Explains dealer's choice of variant.
  6. Draw poker en.wikipedia.org Covers dealing in draw poker.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.