The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game that requires players to make bets in order to win the pot. It can be played with any number of players from 2 to 14, but is most popular with 6-8 players.

The rules of poker vary by variant, but the basic premise is similar across all forms. First, a player is dealt a hand of cards; these may be face down or face up. During the betting rounds, a player can raise or fold.

Usually, there are some forced bets (called antes or blinds) that occur before the cards are dealt. These are rotated around the table each round so that each player makes a bet before the cards are dealt.

Once the ante and blind bets have been placed, the cards are dealt to the players one at a time. These can be discarded and replaced, depending on the rules of the variation being played.

Each player is then dealt another set of cards, called their hole cards. After each player has been dealt, the remaining cards are shuffled and the dealer deals them to the players again, starting with the player on the left.

The cards are then turned over to reveal the player’s hand and the pot is gathered. If there are more than one player still in the game, a showdown occurs and the person with the best hand wins the pot.