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The Basics of Poker

Poker

The game of poker is a card game. A hand of poker begins when a player makes a bet and then raises the amount of his bet. The player with the highest ranking poker combination is the first bettor, and he must bet the required minimum amount in the first betting interval. Later in the game, the player may check.

Each player has seven cards total: two personal cards, a community card, and one of the dealer’s two cards. The highest pair wins. If ties occur, the second pair wins. In the event that there is a tie, the highest card is used to break the tie. The high card is used to break ties when no one has a pair, when there are several people with the same high card, or if a player has more than one high hand of the same type.

A player who folds in poker forfeits his or her hand and loses the pot. In the event that another player raises, the player may match his or her latest bet or fold the hand. This process can occur multiple times during a hand. If a player folds his or her hand after a player has raised, the player loses the right to compete for the pot.

The rules of poker vary from game to game, but the basic rules are generally the same. Players begin by putting in a blind bet, or an ante. If the dealer has more than one card, he or she may create a community card pile, where every player can place one card. The highest hand wins the pot. The betting is conducted clockwise, and goes on until everyone has bet, or the player folds.