The Basics of Poker

Poker is a game where players use their cards to form the best hand. The highest hand wins the pot. There are many different variations of poker. Each variation has its own rules.

The main rule is that each player must put in the same amount of chips. These chips are either white, dark colored or blue in color. White chips are usually the least expensive and are worth two, four or five reds, while dark-colored chips are worth ten or 25 whites.

Before the hand is dealt, each player must ante, or place a small bet, on the pot. If nobody calls the ante, then the next player is able to bet into the pot.

Cards are then dealt clockwise around the table. A player with Aces may trade all of his cards, or keep all of them. As the game progresses, some cards are dealt face up and others are dealt face down.

If a player makes a bet without a good hand, the player loses the bet. However, if a player has a good hand, he is free to raise the bet.

Ties are broken by the high card. If multiple people tie for the high card, the high card is considered the winner.

Five of a kind is a winning hand. Two fours of a kind are also winners. Another type of four of a kind is a higher-rank four of a kind. This means that two fours of a kind with the same rank beats any other fours of a kind.