The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game that can be played by two or more players. It is traditionally played with a standard 52 card English deck, but some games use one or more wild cards (called Jokers). The game can be played with a single betting pool or multiple betting pools and with different betting limits such as No Limit, Pot Limit, Spread Limit and Fixed Limit.

Each round starts with a player placing an initial amount of chips into the pot. This is called an ante or blind bet. Once everyone has acted in the first round, the dealer shuffles and deals the cards to the players. Each player then has the option to call, raise or fold their hand.

A player who calls a bet must put the same amount of chips into the pot as the player who raised it. If they choose to raise the bet again, then they must put in more than the previous player. Alternatively, they can choose to “drop” which means that they drop out of the hand and forfeit any chips they have placed into the pot.

The winning hand is decided when all players reveal their cards. The highest five card poker hand wins the pot. In the event that two players have equal hands then the winnings are shared.