The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game where players place bets on their own or a group of cards called a pot. The object is to win the pot by having a good hand or raising enough bets that nobody calls yours.

Before the cards are dealt, each player contributes an amount, called an ante or blind, to the betting pool. Depending on the rules, this amount may be as little as $1. After each round of betting, the players choose to either keep their cards and check or play a hand. A player who plays a hand must match or raise the last bet or fold.

When it’s your turn, you can say “call” or “I call” to bet the same amount as the person to your right. You can also say “raise” to add more money to the betting pool. The players to your right can decide whether to call your new bet or fold.

The highest-ranking hand is a royal flush, which consists of the 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of one suit. This beats four of a kind (such as 4 aces) and any other five-card hand. Tied hands are decided by the rank of the fifth card.

There are several different versions of poker, but most use two cards, known as hole cards, followed by a flop, then an additional single card, called the turn, and then a final card, known as the river. The game was likely invented in the United States around 1829, and spread quickly on riverboats and through the Civil War. Various theories claim that the game has its roots in earlier bluffing games, including 10th-century Chinese dominoes and the 16th-century Persian game As Nas. But the likeliest immediate precursor to poker is the French game Poque, which had a similar name.