Poker is a card game played around the world. Players use their five cards to make the best hand. The highest hand wins. In some variations, the pot is split between the highest and lowest hands.
The first step to playing a poker game is making a required forced bet. The ante is the amount of money a player must put into the pot to play. This may also be called the blind. If the bet is not enough to cover the cost of the ante, the player must fold.
After making the ante, the player is dealt three or five cards. These may be face down or up. The dealer then shuffles the cards. The first three community cards are then dealt face up.
After each round, the dealer deals new cards to the remaining players. After each card, each player must check or raise their bet.
The next round is called the betting interval. Players can discard up to three cards. The betting interval ends when the last raise occurs. The last round is called the showdown.
Players can bet their best hand, or they can bluff. They can also make a forced bet. For instance, they might bet the ace as their lowest card.
In some poker games, ties are broken by the highest unmatched card. If two identical hands tie, they split the winnings.
The earliest known form of poker was played with 20 cards. After 1875, a full 52-card English deck was introduced. Some countries have shortened packs.
