The game of poker has many variants, but the majority are played with a standard 52-card deck. Players place a bet into a central pot, called the pot, before any cards are dealt. Each player has the option to keep some of their cards and take new ones (draw) from the deck. This gives the players a chance to improve their hands, which are ranked according to their mathematical value. The highest-ranking hand wins the pot. Players can also bluff, making bets that other players will call even though they do not have the best possible hand.
There are several types of poker hands:
A pair is two matching cards of the same rank. Three of a kind is three cards of the same rank, and a straight is five consecutive cards in order but may skip ranks or be from more than one suit. The highest straight beats all other hands.
During each round, the player to the left of the button posts an ante and/or blind bets. The dealer then shuffles the cards, and begins dealing them to the players. Depending on the variant of poker being played, there may be multiple betting rounds, with each player being allowed to discard a number of cards and take new ones.
During the betting rounds, each player has the option to raise the bet of the person to their right by saying “raise”. This will add more money to the pot and force the other players to fold. This is a good strategy to use when you have a strong hand.