The Basics of Poker

While many variations of poker involve a variety of betting rules, all games require players to make a minimum of one bet to participate. During the betting phase, all players are dealt five cards and one is always face down. The dealer then deals the first two cards to each player, and the dealer must reveal these to all players. Each player is required to place a certain number of chips into the pot equal to the total contribution of the previous player. This is called an ante.

When playing poker, a dealer changes the cards every time a hand is played. A cut is made by the person to the right of the dealer. The game is typically played with five to seven players. The bets are placed in front of the players. The player with the highest hand wins the pot, but his or her hand is not revealed to the other players. The dealer is then responsible for dealing out the cards, unless the player is cheating.

Almost every game of poker uses poker chips. Games with seven or more players should supply these chips. A white chip is the lowest value and is worth five whites. A red chip is worth ten or twenty or fifty black chips. A blue chip, on the other hand, is worth two, four, or five reds. Players “buy in” by purchasing the chips they need to participate in the game. When each player buys in, they usually buy the same amount of chips.