The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game with millions of fans and players. It’s important to understand how it works, its rules and variations, etiquette, sorts of players, and more.

Depending on the rules of a particular game, one or more players must place an initial amount of money into the pot before cards are dealt. These mandatory bets are called blinds and come in the form of a Small Blind (SB) and a Big Blind (BB). A player wins the pot (the total amount of money bet in the hand) when all other players have folded or they have the best remaining hand.

Once all players have received their 2 hole cards, a round of betting begins with the player on the left of the dealer. A player can choose to “call” the bet, which means they put in the same amount as the player before them, or they can raise the bet. If a player calls the bet, they can also say “check” which allows them to stay in the hand without having to pay more than their opponent(s) if anyone else raises during their turn.

The higher a poker hand’s rank, the more likely it is to win. A Full House contains 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 matching cards of another. A Flush is any 5 cards of consecutive rank from the same suit. A Straight is 5 cards that are of the same rank, but skip around in order. High card breaks ties.