Poker is a card game for two or more players, played with a standard 52-card pack. In poker, players compete to form the best hand based on the ranking of cards in order to win the pot (all bets made during a single betting interval). The game is quick and requires fast thinking and good instincts. It is also a game of chance and bluffing.
There are many different poker variants and games, but in all poker games the basic rules are the same: Players take turns clockwise around the table revealing their hands, with the player who has the highest-ranking hand winning the pot. During the betting phase of each round, each player must place chips into the pot to make a bet. Players may choose to call a bet, raise that bet, or fold.
The first player to the left deals the cards and is known as the dealer. Usually, the dealer will shuffle the deck and offer it to the player to his or her right for a cut. This is a necessary procedure that ensures that the resulting shuffle is random.
Some poker variants require that players pay an ante before being dealt cards. This is known as an ante-raising bet. Some players will also raise the ante-raising bet during a particular betting interval in addition to making a call or raising. A player can choose to raise only if he or she believes that the bet has positive expected value. If a player is unwilling to raise the ante-raising bet, he or she must fold.
