Poker is a card game in which players compete for the pot by betting chips (representing money) on their own or against other players’ hands. The best hand wins. In some variants of the game, players also have the option to discard their cards and draw replacements. This is done during or after the betting round, depending on the rules of the game.
Before the cards are dealt, one player, as determined by the rules of the game, must place a bet into the pot, or commit money to compete for the pot. This is called making a “blind bet.” Each subsequent player must either call the blind bet or raise it.
When the cards are dealt, each player has two private cards that he or she may keep hidden or reveal to other players during the betting rounds. In addition to the personal cards, each player has five community cards that can be used to form various poker hands.
The turn to deal and bet passes clockwise from player to player, starting with the first player to the left of the dealer. The turn to cut the deck and the right to shuffle is determined by the same process, with the last player having the right of cut and shuffling.
A poker player’s success depends on the ability to read other players, or “read their tells.” A tell is an unconscious habit of a player that gives away information about his or her hand. These tells can be as subtle as a gesture or as obvious as a facial expression.