The Basics of Poker

The game of poker is a card game in which players make bets with chips. A white chip is worth the minimum ante, a red is worth five whites, and a blue is worth twenty whites or more. When someone bets you can choose to call by putting up the same amount as the player who made the bet, or you can raise it by adding more money to the pot. If you raise, the other players will have to either call your new bet or fold (throw their cards away).

After the first betting round is complete the dealer deals three cards face up on the table which are community cards that everyone can use – this is called the flop. Once again everyone gets a chance to bet and decide whether to stay in the hand or fold.

Unlike other card games such as contract bridge, in poker the rank of each card matters. The highest ranked hand wins the pot. A high straight beats a low one, for example, while a wraparound straight is better than both. A full house contains three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank, while a flush is five consecutive cards of the same suit. A pair is two cards of the same rank and another unmatched card, and the highest unmatched pair wins. If no hand is a winner after the final betting round, the cards are revealed and the player with the highest ranked hand wins the pot.