Poker is a card game in which players bet into a communal pot. The object is to win the most money by having the best hand or by making a bet that no other player calls.
There are several variations of the game, all of which share basic rules: Each player is dealt five cards facedown and receives one card in turn to the community cards (the “flop”) during the first betting interval. A showdown follows the flop, when the cards are revealed to each player in turn.
The highest possible poker hand consists of three of a kind, a pair of aces, or a straight, which is five consecutive cards in any order. A flush, on the other hand, is a five-card combination of any cards in sequential order.
A high-stakes poker tournament is a type of competition in which participants try to win a set amount of money in a predetermined time frame. The top two finishers in the tournament win a prize.
Traditionally, each player begins the hand by placing a small amount of cash into the pot before the cards are dealt. These are called antes and blinds, and they give the pot a value right off the bat.
When a player raises their bet, every other player must call or fold. If they do not, they lose the original bet and have to wait for a new raise or fold to take their place in the pot.