In poker, the game involves betting and raising bets between players. The object of the game is to win a pot consisting of chips (representing money) by beating other players’ hands. It is a card game that has several variants and variations.
Each player is dealt two cards. The player to the left of the big blind takes turn and can either call the amount raised by the player before him (call), raise the current bet further or push his cards to the dealer face down without saying anything (fold).
Players can place a number of chips in the pot for each round they are active. Saying “call” means you want to bet the same amount as the player before you. Saying “raise” means you want to raise the previous player’s bet further.
The highest hand wins the pot. A royal flush consists of four matching cards of the same rank. A straight is five consecutive cards of the same suit. A three of a kind is three cards of the same rank, and a pair is two cards of the same rank plus one unmatched card. Ties are broken by the higher ranking pair, and if all hands are identical they split any winnings equally.
The dealer typically does the shuffling and bets last, but if you’re new to the game ask an experienced player for help before having a go yourself. Keeping the chips in order, knowing how to fold when you don’t have a good hand and understanding position are all important skills to develop. You should also make sure you study some charts that show which hands beat which, for example a flush beats a straight and three of a kind beats two pair.