Poker is a card game that may be played by 2 to 14 players. The object is to win the “pot” which represents the sum of all bets placed by players in any given betting round. A player can win the pot by making a high-ranking hand or by bluffing.
Generally speaking, a good poker hand is made up of either a pair or three of a kind. The rank of a hand is determined by its odds (probability). Two identical hands tie and any winnings are divided equally.
To begin a hand the dealer shuffles a deck of cards and passes them to the player to his right who cuts. The dealer then deals the cards, either face down or face up depending on the variant of poker being played. The first of several betting rounds then begins.
After a player makes his choice to fold, check, call, or raise his bet, a new card is placed on the table called the flop. This new card will change the strength of your hand. For example, if you have pocket kings and the flop comes A-8-5 then your kings are now considered the nuts.
After the flop there is another round of betting and then the final card is dealt called the river. This card will reveal your whole hand to the other players and the player with the highest ranked hand wins the pot. The highest hand can consist of any five cards in a sequence, but they must be different suits and not the same rank.