The Basics of Poker

Poker is a game where players have incomplete information about their opponents. The object is to make the best 5-card hand using your own two cards and the five community cards. The player who makes the highest hand wins the “pot” – all the Chips bet so far. There are many different forms of Poker, but the basic rules are similar.

Before the game starts, the players must agree on a minimum supply of chips for the game. White chips (or the lightest-colored ones) are usually worth one low-denomination raise; red chips are worth more, and blue chips are worth still more. The players may also agree to establish a kitty fund, whereby one low-denomination chip is taken from each pot in which more than one raise occurs. This money is used to pay for things like new decks of cards or food and drinks.

The dealer in a game of Poker is a person who has been designated to be responsible for shuffling and dealing the cards. Occasionally, a non-player is given this duty, but it is usually rotated among the players.

When it’s your turn to bet, you must place the number of chips in the pot equal to the amount raised by the person before you. If you cannot meet a raise, you must fold. Otherwise, you must continue betting until the showdown. If you do not want to call the last raise, you can say, “call,” and match the amount raised.