Poker is a card game played by a number of players and involves betting on a hand of cards. There are many variants of the game, but it is based on a series of basic rules.
The Basics
To play poker, you will need a deck of cards and chips to place your bets with. These can be of various colors, and the dealer will assign values to them prior to the start of the game.
You will also need a table and chairs to sit on. There are a number of different types of tables, and most have a limit of eight or nine players.
How to Play
In most versions of poker, one or more players are required to make forced bets, usually either an ante or a blind bet (sometimes both). After the ante is placed, each player is dealt two cards face-down. The players keep these cards secret from their opponents.
The players then take a look at their cards and decide whether to bet or fold. They can fold by calling the ante or big blind, check by matching the bet, or raise by adding more money to the pot.
A player with the highest hand wins the pot. Often, players win by bluffing. This is when a player bets that they have the best hand but they don’t actually have it, and then other players call their bet or fold.
