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The Basics of Poker

The Basics of Poker

Poker is a game of incomplete information in which each player has 2 cards and 5 community cards to make a “hand”. Players aim to win the pot (all the bets placed so far) by making a high hand using their two personal cards and the five community cards.

There is usually a round of betting after each card is dealt. Each player must place a mandatory bet (called blinds) into the pot before betting can begin. A second card is then dealt face up and there is another round of betting. Players may then discard and draw replacement cards or choose to hold their cards (“hold pat”). Depending on the rules of your poker game, replacing cards can occur during or after the betting round.

If a player wishes to stay in the pot, they must raise the amount of their stake to match the last raiser. This is known as equalization. If they are unwilling to do this, they must fold.

There are many different types of hands in poker. The most common are a royal flush, which is three matching cards of the same rank and two unmatched cards. A straight is five consecutive cards of the same suit. A full house is three matching cards of one rank plus two matching cards of another rank. A pair is two matching cards of the same rank and one unmatched card. The joker, called the bug, can be used to fill out a flush or certain special hands.