Poker is a card game in which players compete against each other to win money. Each player must start the game by betting an amount, which varies with the game, into the pot in the middle of the table. The player with the best hand wins the pot. The game is played clockwise. When betting, players have three options: raise their initial bet, fold, or call.
Poker is played on a circular or oval table. The initial dealer must be chosen from a shuffled deck. The player who receives the highest card in the initial deal is the initial dealer. If there are ties, they are broken by a subsequent deal. Players then progress the steps of play clockwise, beginning with the initial dealer.
The highest hand possible is a Royal Straight Flush, a hand that contains five cards of the same suit. Two of these cards can be wild, but they must be the same suit. If more than one person has a five-of-a-kind hand, the higher card wins. Poker hands that are higher than these five are known as “high hands,” or “high-card hands.”
In many limit games, players start with a small bet, which increases to a big bet during later betting rounds. The bets are “capped” after three raises. During this time, subsequent players may only call if their raises are larger than the original bet amount. This means that the next player must match or raise the open bet or raise in order to stay in the game. Otherwise, they will forfeit their chance at winning the hand.