Poker is a card game that involves betting, and players use cards to try to make the best hand possible. It has a history dating back to ancient times, and is still played today in card rooms at casinos around the world.
A pack of cards is dealt face-up, one card at a time. Each player may shuffle the cards, but the dealer has the last right to do so.
The highest possible hand in standard poker is a pair of aces, which beats any two cards of the same rank. Ties are broken by the highest unmatched cards or secondary pairs (in a full house [a five-card hand made up of three of a kind and a pair]).
There are many different types of Poker games. The rules vary by type and by game, but the basic principles of each are the same.
Blind: In some forms of poker, the player to the left of the dealer has to contribute a fixed amount to the pot before the cards are dealt. The dealer also has the right to place a small or big blind, and can raise the amount if he wishes to do so.
Matching method: A player who cannot meet a raise may call instead of raising his own stake, but must match the total amount of the previous active player’s stake. If he does not match the amount, then he loses his right to be in the pot.
