Poker is a card game in which players place bets against one another based on the value of their poker hand. Bets are made with cash or chips (representing money) and the pot is accumulated when players call or raise each other’s bets.
A poker game may involve any number of players but the ideal number is six or seven people. The game is played with a dealer and the button passes clockwise after each hand. The dealer shuffles the cards, cuts them and deals them to the players one at a time, starting with the player to their left. The cards can be dealt face-up or face-down, depending on the poker variant being played.
During the first round of betting each player must decide whether to call, raise or fold their hand. If they choose to raise, they must say “call” or “I call” to make a bet equal to the last bet and place the appropriate amount of chips in the pot.
Once the first betting round is complete a third card is placed on the table that anyone can use, this is called the flop. Then there is a final round of betting and the player with the best five card poker hand wins the pot.
A good poker hand is made up of a pair, three of a kind or four of a kind and a straight or flush. If two or more hands have the same rank, the highest kicker (pair) wins.