Poker is a card game where players bet against each other using chips. The chips are usually worth a certain amount, and players buy in to the game by placing their initial contribution, called an ante.
The ante is the minimum amount of money required to play, and can be raised and re-raised throughout the game. Once the cards are dealt, the betting rounds begin.
Betting is a critical part of poker, and teaches new players how to manage their chips so that they minimise losses with lousy hands and maximise profits with strong ones. It also teaches them how to read the cards, and to identify when they are likely to win or lose.
A poker table typically has a supply of coloured chips, with each chip being worth one of two values (for example, whites are worth 10 chips, and reds are worth five). For more than seven players, there should be enough chips to fill the entire table, so each player will buy in to the game for a set number of chips.
Each player is dealt a hand of cards, which they must use to make their best poker hand. The dealer deals three cards to each player on the flop, and then another four on the turn.
Once all the cards have been dealt, a showdown is held where the hands are revealed and the player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. Depending on the game format, a winner may be determined by any of a number of criteria, such as the highest pair, or the highest straight or flush draw.