The Basics of Poker
Poker is a card game which involves skill as well as luck. Over time the application of skills will reduce the effect of random chance and make a winning hand more likely to appear. The game can be played in cash or as part of a tournament. The rules vary between the two variants but both involve betting and showing cards at the end of the hand.
Before a hand starts one or more players must make forced bets, usually an ante and a blind bet. These are then collected in a pot and the cards are dealt. Each player has 5 cards and the best hand wins the pot.
During the betting interval, a player may say “raise” to add money to the pot. The other players can either call the new bet or fold their cards. Saying “call” means to put the same amount into the pot as the person before you.
When everyone has called the bets, their cards are shown. The player with the best poker hand wins the “pot” which contains all the bets placed during that round.
Some kind of tokens to bet with are required, generally round chips of varying values. Unlike some gambling games, Poker cannot be played for peanuts or sweets (although seasoned gamblers would sneer at that). Usually a white chip is worth the minimum ante/blind bet, and red and blue chips are worth multiple whites.