Poker is a card game in which players place bets and cards are dealt. Each player has a choice to call, raise or fold. The goal is to win the pot by having a superior hand or bluffing until a better hand calls, or all other players call and concede defeat. There are many variants of poker, but they all share some essential features.
At the beginning of the game, all players buy in for a set amount of chips, with each color of chip representing a different value. A white chip is worth the minimum ante or blind bet; a red chip represents two or three bets; and a blue chip is worth ten or more bets. A player may also make a special all-in bet that involves all of his or her remaining chips.
After the initial deal, a betting round begins with the player on the seat to the left of the dealer. A player may “call” that bet by placing chips into the pot equal to or more than the previous bet; raise a bet (putting more into the pot than the last player); or fold.
Each player’s hands develop over several rounds of betting. If no one has a winning hand after the final round of betting, a showdown is held, and the winner takes the pot. A winning hand must consist of five cards, with each card’s rank and suit being valued in inverse proportion to its mathematical frequency.
