Well, there are a couple of questions here. First, minimums:

There are 4 rounds of betting. In limit games, as opposed to the "no-limit" games on TV, the minimum bet for the first 2 betting rounds is equal to the big blind. For the last 2 betting rounds, the minimum bet is double the big blind. So, on a $2/$4 table, the small blind is $1, big blind is $2, the minimum bet for the first 2 rounds is $2 and then $4 for the last 2 rounds.

Now, the only betting round where a bet is *required* is the first round. This is because the players, at a minimum, need to "call" the big blind, which is a kind of "forced bet" that acts to get some action in the game.

Which brings us to "checking"...

After the first round, if nobody has bet yet, the player has the option to "check". This basically means, "I don't want to bet." If all players "check", then there is no bet for that round and the next card is shown. Of course, just because a player ahead of you checked doesn't mean you can't bet. Let's use my symbols from my earlier post. If players 1 and 2 check, player 3, D, S, B still have the option to bet. The betting will continue clockwise and players 1 and 2 will have the opportunity to call or raise.

This brings up an interesting strategy -- "check raising". Let's pretend that you and I are the only players left in the game. I'm the first action player and I have a really good hand. I want to make the pot as big as possible. You've been betting, but if I bet I suspect that you will call. To get more money out of you, I can check, then raise your bet if you choose to bet. Its a perfectly legitimate strategy, but it tends to piss off other players. There are variations of this in no-limit games, too.

Generally, you want to "slow play" a great hand to maximize the pot. On the other hand, you often want to raise on the first round to get out players who are hoping to win the lottery on the flop.

In card rooms around here, we can have up to 9 players at a table. *Anything* can happen on the flop, especially with that many players, so if I have a high pair or A, K in suit, or something equally great, I will raise immediately to drive out some of the players and try to reduce the chance of someone getting a lucky 3 of a kind on the flop.

You didn't really ask about strategy, but betting and strategy are intimately related in this game.

Jim