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The Basics of Poker

The Basics of Poker

Poker

Generally, the game of Poker is played by a group of people around a circular table. Each player is dealt a set of five cards. The player with the best hand wins the pot.

Most forms of poker require that the player make a compulsory bet at the beginning of the hand. This is known as the ante. Once the player has made the ante, he may either fold, check, or bet. If he folds, he discards his hand. Alternatively, he can continue to play and try to make a bet, but must do so before revealing his cards.

The dealer shuffles the deck after each hand, and passes cards to the remaining players. He may also create a community card pile. These cards are used by all players, but not shown. In some games, the dealer passes out all the cards at once. In others, the dealer shuffles the deck after each round of betting.

When a player is dealt five cards in straight poker, he can bet, call, or fold. He can also check, but the betting stops when all players fold. In a tie, the player with the highest unmatched card wins. In a three-way tie, the player with the highest card wins. If there is a tie among two identical poker hands, the tie is broken by the highest unmatched card. Among identical hands in a hand-to-hand game, a tie is broken by the player with the highest unmatched fifth card.