A game with two or more players where the goal is to win by making a high-value hand from the cards you receive and those on the table. There is a lot of skill involved in poker, especially in reading the other players, and good bluffing skills can be very useful.
The total of all money paid into the pot during a hand, plus any additional bets that may have been made. The pot can be split into several side pots if one or more players are all-in. The winner of the main pot (or the last player to call) wins a sum equal to his stake.
A player wishing to stay in the pot must match the total amount staked so far by the last raiser and may raise it further. If he is unwilling to do either, he must fold.
The rank of a poker hand is determined by its odds, and each suit has a different rank from the others (fifteen clubs beat four of a kind). If two or more hands have the same ranking, they tie and share any winnings equally. Ties are broken by the highest unmatched card or secondary pairs (in a full house, for example).
The player to the left of the dealer places a bet before each hand. An ante is similar to a blind, but everyone must contribute it before the action starts. This helps set the value of a hand before the flop and can force weaker hands to fold.