A Beginner’s Guide to Poker

Basically, Poker is a card game played by a group of players around a table. A set of cards are dealt face up to each player. Players can choose to discard cards, call, raise or fold. The player with the highest hand wins the pot.

A pot is the aggregate of all the bets made by all the players in one deal. The pot is usually placed in the center of the table.

If one of the players makes a bet, it’s called a “raise.” If he or she raises, the other players must match it. When all the players call, betting stops.

The final betting phase is called the Showdown. In the Showdown, players show their cards. If two or more players have the same hand, the highest unmatched fifth card wins. In a tie, the highest unmatched card is discarded and the winner is decided by the second highest card.

Players can also call or raise the minimum bet. If they raise, they can add more chips to the pot.

If the other players call, the pot stays on the table until all players fold. If all the players fold, the pot is distributed among the players in a way that the lowest hand wins.

If players have exposed pairs, they may double their stake in the final betting interval. This occurs if they make three or four raises.

A straight is a hand that starts with the highest card. A pair of aces is the lowest pair. The lowest hand is 6-4-3-2-A in two or more suits.