Once each and every Texas Hold'em player has had the opportunity to wager or fold in the first round, the dealer puts three cards facing up on the table.  The flop is considered to be the first community cards that are dealt.  These three cards indicate the beginning of the second round of wagering, beginning with the first player who still has cards and is still in the game who is sitting to the left of the dealer.  After the first round is over and the second round begins, the players’ choices change.  The players can now either wager or check, making no bet at all.  If the previous player wagers, the player after that betting player can either fold, call by matching the preceding wager, or raise, by increasing the amount of the wager.

After the second round of betting is complete in Texas Hold'em and each and every player at the table has had a chance to either wager or check, the dealer throws down one more face up card that is referred to  as the turn.  Another round of betting follows this card, following the procedure of the previous round of wagering, until complete.  At this point the final card is placed on the table face up, referred to as the river.  The last round of wagering occurs exactly as before, and the showdown begins.

The showdown simply refers to the process of comparing available hands between the players and determining who the winner is.  In the event that the players tie, the pot is split between them.  The players hand can be composed of all their hole cards one of their hole cards or occasionally none of their hole cards.  In the event that the player does not play any hole cards it is referred to as playing the board.  When the player plays the board, it means that the board has some obviously very powerful cards that are a better combination of whatever the player is currently holding.  In the unlikely event that all the players at the table play the board, then the pot is split between them.  However many players are left in the game divvy up the pot between them and continue as before.

While there are many more subtleties involved, these are the basic rules and premises behind playing Texas Hold'em poker.  Becoming skilled at these types of games requires a tremendous amount of practice and experience, and simply learning the rules will not make anyone a professional poker player overnight.