A card game in which players make wagers on the outcome of a hand by placing chips into a pot and forcing opponents to call (match) or fold. The higher a player’s hand ranks, the more valuable the bet. Players may also bluff, betting that they have a high-ranking hand when they actually have a weak one, hoping that opponents will call their bet to force them out of the pot.
After all players receive their cards, there is a round of betting that begins with 2 mandatory bets called blinds put into the pot by two players sitting to the left of the dealer. This creates an incentive for people to play and starts a pot that is shared by all players.
Players can check, which means that they don’t want to place any chips into the pot; raise, which puts more money in the pot and forces other players to call; or fold, which allows them to throw their cards away. It’s important to be able to read other players. Watch their eye movements, idiosyncrasies and betting behavior. Look for tells like when a player who usually calls but suddenly makes a large raise—he or she may be holding an incredible hand!
Once the betting is over, everyone shows their cards and the person with the highest-ranked hand wins the pot. The most common hands are a full house (3 matching cards of the same rank), a flush (5 consecutive cards of the same suit) and a pair (2 matching cards of one rank and 1 unmatched card). A player can win more than one pot in a single hand.