Poker is a card game played with a small group of players around a table. The game is fast-paced and the players bet continuously until one person has all the chips or everyone folds. It is often played with a fixed amount of money (called the buy-in). Each player has his or her own stack of chips. There are a variety of betting rules, including the option to check. When a player checks, he or she passes on the turn to act and allows other players to continue acting.
The cards used in poker are usually standard playing cards from a standard deck of 52. There are four suits, spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs, and the rank of a card is high (Ace) or low (King). Some games also use special cards called wild cards. Some games have a specific number of cards per player, while others allow each player to choose his or her own hand size.
Before any cards are dealt, a forced bet is placed in the pot by the two players to the left of the dealer (called the button). These bets are called blinds and they help give players something to chase.
Once all players have 2 hole cards, there is a round of betting (called the pre-flop). 3 more cards are then dealt face up in the center of the table and this is called the flop. Another round of betting begins with the player to the left of the button. The best 5-card hand wins the pot.
