The Basics of Poker
In poker, players place chips (representing money) into the pot when they want to increase their chances of making a good hand. This is a game of chance and skill, but it is also a highly psychological game that requires a lot of attention and energy.
To begin the game, players usually “buy in” for a fixed amount of money, or purchase tokens that represent their money (often worth less than an actual chip). There are several different ways to buy in, but most poker games use poker chips. Each type of chip is worth a particular amount: white chips are worth the smallest, and red and black chips are worth the largest.
Once all players have bought in, the dealer shuffles the cards and begins dealing them to the table one at a time. After each player receives their two hole cards, there is a round of betting that is started by the mandatory bets called blinds put in by the players to their left.
After the flop is dealt, there is another round of betting. After this, a final card is placed on the board that everyone can use (called the river). The highest ranked 5 card hand wins. If there is a tie, the high card rule breaks it.