The Basics of Poker

Poker

Poker is a card game in which players bet money into a pot of chips. A player’s best hand wins the pot, unless there is a tie.

The game starts with a dealer, who is responsible for shuffling the cards and dealing them to all the players. Some games have a non-player as the dealer, and others allow for different players to be the dealer at the same time.

Before each round begins, each player is required to place a small amount of money into the pot called an ante. This is done in order to prevent the game from going on too long and to keep each player involved and invested.

When all of the money is in, players take turns clockwise around the table revealing their hands. A player may choose to reveal his hand and win the round, or fold.

If all but one player folds, the round is over and a showdown takes place where the hands are revealed. The winner of the round is the player with the best 5-card hand.

The winning hand depends on a variety of factors, including the number of cards in each hand. The most common hand is a straight, which is five consecutive cards in any suit. There are also other hands, such as two pair and a full house.