Preflop
Preflop is the stage of a poker hand after the hole cards are dealt and before the flop. It is also the betting round that takes place before any community cards appear.
The simple explanation
In Hold'em, you get two cards and then the first round of betting begins. The blinds are already in the pot. Players decide to fold, call or raise. That round of betting is the preflop.
A closer look
Preflop decisions set the stage for the rest of the hand: ranges, pot size and stack-to-pot ratio all come from the preflop action. Many players study preflop charts to know which hands to open from each position. Mistakes before the flop are hard to correct later. The hand ranges are wide, and bet sizes are usually smaller than after the flop.
A practical example
Before the flop, a player on the button raises to 6, and the big blind calls. That is the preflop action.
Full explanation
Preflop is the stage of a poker hand after the hole cards are dealt and before the flop. It is also the betting round that takes place before any community cards appear.
Preflop is the betting round before the flop.
The blinds are already in the pot.
It sets the stage for the rest of the hand.
Alternative spelling: pre-flop, pre flop
Preflop
No-limit Hold’em · Blinds 1/2 chips · No rake
The blinds are 1 and 2 chips. Heads-up, the dealer (D) also posts the small blind.
Read the example transcript
Player A has the button (BTN) and posts the 1-chip small blind (SB). Player B posts the 2-chip big blind (BB).
- Preflop · Pot: 3 chips
The blinds are 1 and 2 chips. Heads-up, the dealer (D) also posts the small blind.
- Player A BTN / SB AAce of hearts (Ah)KKing of diamonds (Kd) · Stack 199 · In this round 1
- Player B BB 99 of clubs (9c)88 of clubs (8c) · Stack 198 · In this round 2
- Preflop · Pot: 8 chips
Before the flop, Player A raises to 6. The betting round before any community cards is called preflop.
- Player A BTN / SB AAce of hearts (Ah)KKing of diamonds (Kd) · Stack 194 · In this round 6
- Player B BB 99 of clubs (9c)88 of clubs (8c) · Stack 198 · In this round 2
Cards are shown for learning; totals are displayed before pot collection.