Official poker is a card game that can be played by players of all skill levels. Although a bit of luck is required, the main focus of the game is on skill. The player who manages to minimize losses and maximize winnings wins the pot.
A standard pack of cards (or a few jokers) is used for the game. The deck is ranked, with Aces being high and Jacks being low. All hands contain five cards and the highest hand wins the pot.
Each player starts the game with an ante, which is a contribution of a predetermined amount of chips. The person in the dealer’s left position is called the “small blind” and the one on his or her right is the “big blind”.
Before the first round of betting, the dealer removes a playing card from the deck and discards it face down to the discard pile without revealing it to the players. This is known as “burning” and it deters cheating.
The Flop is the first three community cards that all players can use in making their hands. After the Flop and on every subsequent round of betting, the SB can choose to CHECK without betting anything, BET or FOLD.
It is very important to act in turn verbally or by pushing out chips as soon as it becomes your turn, and not wait for three or more players to act behind you before you take action. Failure to do so may result in you losing the right to act and the chips you have committed to the pot.
