Poker is a card game with a variety of rules. Players place forced bets in each round, which are collected into a central pot. The player with the best hand wins the pot. The best hand usually consists of five cards. The value of a hand is in inverse proportion to its mathematical frequency, so the more unusual a hand is, the higher it ranks. Players may also bluff, betting that they have a good hand while other players must either call the bet or concede.
A complete poker hand consists of 5 cards in sequence, but not necessarily all from the same suit. A Straight Flush contains five consecutive cards of the same suit, starting with an ace. A Full House consists of 3 matching cards of one rank, and 2 matching cards of another rank. The highest pair wins. If there is a tie, the highest unmatched card determines the winner.
The dealer changes after each hand. Each hand begins with a forced bet (the ante or blind bet) made by the player to the left of the dealer. The dealer then shuffles the deck, cuts the cards and deals them to each player, beginning with the person on his right.
After all players have received their two hole cards, a round of betting starts with the player to the left of the dealer. In addition, any player who wishes to raise must first put chips into the pot equal to or higher than the amount raised by the player before him.