River

River is the last community card in Texas Hold’em that is dealt in the middle of the table for everyone to use.

This card is dealt face up, and the last betting rounds begin as soon as it is placed on the table, giving players a chance to make final decisions. For example, imagine that the board is As Jc 9c6d, and the player in the cutoff bets again while the player on the button calls. The next card comes 8c completing both possible straight and flush draws, and now the final betting round begins. Players can make their decisions if they want to check or bet one more time, and either one of them folds, or they go to the showdown to determine the winner.

The river card is very important, so it is essential that you think about it in advance and have a plan for how you will proceed on different runouts. Since the pot is usually quite big by the time we get to the last card, mistakes can be very costly.