Poker is a card game in which players bet based on the cards they hold. The game can be played with a fixed limit or pot-limit structure, and is one of the most popular casino games in the world.

The Rules

In a hand of poker, each player receives two cards face down and one card face up. After each player has been dealt, betting rounds occur in a sequence of three rounds. A final showdown takes place, where the hole cards are shown and the player with the highest hand wins.

How to Play

The first betting round begins with the player to the immediate left of the dealer button posting an ante, which is a forced bet that starts the betting. Then the betting round proceeds clockwise around the table.

Each player must then decide to either match (or call) the maximum bet made by the last bettor, or fold and lose his or her bet. In some variants, a player may also check, which means that he or she will not bet until all other players have folded.

Bluffing

A bluff is a bet that no opponent calls (or matches) and is therefore not paid, thus allowing the bluffor to win the pot without having to reveal his or her cards. The bluffor may also bet more than the maximum previous bet, which is called raising.

In pot-limit poker, a player can raise any amount of money that is not already in the pot. A maximum raise is determined by calculating the number of chips required to call the previous bet, plus any additional chips that are in the pot at the time of the raise.