Poker is a card game that involves betting between players and is played with chips. The game requires skill and luck, but the application of skill can eliminate much of the random variance inherent in the game. The game is played in many variants, but all involve a betting round before the cards are revealed and the winner is declared.
In each betting round, a player may choose to bet chips or cash (called putting in the pot). The amount of money placed into the pot is known as the chip value. Each chip is worth a certain number of dollars, depending on the type of poker and where it is played.
After the players have each put in their chips, they are dealt two cards face down, which are called their hole cards. Then there is a betting phase, which begins with the player to the left of the big blind. 3 more cards are then dealt face up on the table, which are known as the flop. There is another betting round, and then one last card is dealt face up – this is the river.
A player’s final hand is determined by combining their cards into one of the following poker hands: A straight contains 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. A flush contains any 5 matching cards of the same rank. A full house contains 3 matching cards of the same rank and 2 unmatched cards of another rank. A pair consists of two cards of the same rank, with the highest pair being higher than the other.