Poker is a game of skill and chance. Each hand consists of five cards. The highest card in a poker hand wins the pot.
The game is played with a standard 52-card deck. Some games add jokers and Wild Cards to the mix.
The best possible hand is a five-card flush. However, a higher-ranking four-of-a-kind beats the flush.
Poker is played by placing bets into a central pot. Players may call, raise or fold. The player who folds does not have to participate in the rest of the hand.
A player who does not bet is said to be “standing pat.” A player who bets into the pot is said to be active. The pot can be won by making the highest bet.
There are many variations of the game. One variation is a no-limit game. Players cannot bet more than the maximum amount allowed. Another variant is a fixed-limit game. Before the game begins, the dealer assigns a value to each chip. The chips are typically blue or green.
In some versions of the game, players must ante up before they can get into the game. This ante is known as the ante. The ante is a required contribution to the pot. The player who antes up first becomes the dealer.
Aside from the ante, there are other prerequisites to playing poker. A player must have at least one high-card, and a minimum hand. During the course of the game, each player has the right to shuffle his or her own cards.