Poker is a card game in which individuals compete for an amount of money or chips contributed by the players themselves (the pot). The skill of the player to read his opponents’ expressions, as well as their hands and betting behavior, allows him to make bets that maximize his chances of winning. The bluffing element of the game makes for interesting and challenging play.
The standard 52-card pack is used in Poker, with the addition of one or two jokers. Often two packs are used to speed the dealing process. During each deal, the previous dealer assembles all cards in his hand, shuffles them, and prepares them for the next player.
In some games, the player may decide not to bet at all; he simply checks. If another player raises a bet, the player must either call the bet or drop the hand. The raising of a bet by a player who has already checked is known as “sandbagging.”
Each game of Poker is played with a small and large blind, or ante, which are forced contributions from all players. The antes may be fixed or variable, depending on the game and tournament. If the ante is variable, it may be raised by a certain percentage of the current pot. In fixed-limit poker, the minimum opening raise is twice the big blind; the maximum raise is all the chips a player has in his hand (an “all-in” bet). The banker (typically the first player to the left of the button) keeps a record of the current pot. Players should make no private transactions with their chips; they must obtain them only from the banker, who can return them to players or provide credit or cash for additional chips.