Poker is a card game that uses skill, chance and strategy to decide which hand is best. There are many variants of poker, but the basic rules are similar to those in other gambling games.
The Game
In most games, one or more players are required to make forced bets, usually either an ante (in our $1/$2 cash games a nickel) or a blind bet (a much larger amount). Once these bets have been made, the dealer shuffles and deals cards to each player in turn, beginning with the player on the left.
The Betting Intervals
In each betting interval, players may bet, call, raise or fold, with the option to check, which means that no chips are put into the pot. The pot is re-opened when a player raises or calls the last bet in that interval.
The River
After the first round of betting, a fifth card is dealt to everyone. This card is called the “river” and anyone can use it to make a hand.
The highest hand wins the pot if no other hand is tied for the highest. If more than one hand is tied for the highest, a tie-breaker is used. This is done by looking at the second-highest, then the third-highest and so on until someone has a higher ranked hand.