The Basics of Poker

Poker

Poker is a card game played by a group of people around a circular table. Players are dealt five cards and must form the best hand they can. The highest ranking poker hand wins the pot.

The dealer starts the game by shuffled the deck and cuts the cards. Each player is given a turn to deal. A player who makes the first bet is said to be the “dealer.”

The player to the left of the dealer has the right to shuffle the deck. After the dealer has shuffled the deck, the next player is dealt five cards.

Another round of betting follows. Each player is given the opportunity to match the bet of the previous bettor, or to raise the current open bet.

When all of the players have matched the previous bet, the betting interval ends. If more than one player remains in contention, the showdown is held. During the showdown, each hand is shown.

If no one has a pair, the hand is said to be “unbreakable”. If all of the players have the same type of cards, a high card breaks the tie. In addition, a high card outside of a four-of-a-kind can break a tie.

A hand of five cards is called a “straight.” All of the cards in the same suit are called a flush. Whenever two players have a straight, they win.

Some poker games have a ‘kitty’, or special fund, to which all players can contribute. This kitty is used to pay for new decks of cards.