Poker is a family of card games in which players compete by wagering over who has the best hand according to the rules of the game. Unlike most other games, which have many rules and strategies, poker involves no betting. Instead, players place bets by looking at the rankings of their hands. There are many different types of poker, and each type has its own unique ranking system. However, one common rule that unites all poker games is the concept of “hands.”
In the game, players almost always play with chips, which are called poker chips. A game with more than seven players should have its own set of poker chips. White chips are the lowest-value chips, while red and blue chips are equal. When each player “buys in” to a game, they purchase poker chip sets, typically with the same denomination. Then, each player must place a bet in the pot equal to the total contribution of the previous player.
A player’s hand is not revealed until the last betting round, when the winner of the hand is revealed. During the betting round, the active players must contribute an ante before the first hand is dealt. The ante gives the pot immediate value, so players should put as much money into the pot as they can. During the showdown, the highest-ranking hand wins the pot. If this is not the case, the player’s hand has to be the highest-ranking.