The dealing begins to the dealer's left and goes around the table in a clock-wise manner. The dealer makes two passes, first dealing each player one card then giving himself a card face down. On the second pass the dealer will again give each player a card and then will deal himself a second card, this time face up. This can vary in Europe and Australia where the dealer may deal his first card face up and deal his second card after all players have finished their hands. This is called "European No Hole Card Rule." In games where players' cards are dealt face up, players should not touch their cards. In games where the cards are dealt face down the players will hold their cards in their hand. You may only touch the cards one had and you must keep your cards held over the table. Any subsequent cards will be dealt face up on the table and should not be picked up. Play begins to the dealer's left and progress around the table in the same fashion as the dealing. Some of these rules may sound odd but they are there place to prevent players from cheating the casino. If you're new to the game you may want to stand by a table and watch what people do before sitting down to try your new skills.
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