Poker is a card game played by a group of players around a table with chips. Each player has two cards and aims to make the best 5 card hand using these and five community cards. Players may also bluff to win the pot without showing their cards. The value of a poker hand is in inverse proportion to its mathematical frequency; this means that the more rare a combination of cards, the higher its rank.
To begin the game, each player must buy in for a specified number of chips. Then the dealer shuffles the cards and cuts them. The first player clockwise to the dealer becomes the initial dealer (the button) and the turn to deal and bet passes clockwise.
During each betting interval, a player may choose to bet a number of chips into the pot. If a player bets more than the previous player, they are said to raise. In addition, a player may choose to check, meaning that they do not wish to place any chips into the pot.
After all the cards are dealt, the final fifth community card is revealed (the “river”). Then each remaining player must decide whether to call the previous players’ bets or to fold their hands. If all players fold, the player who made the last bet wins the pot. At the end of a poker game, a special fund is established, called a kitty. The kitty is used to pay for new decks of cards and other expenses. The kitty is usually divided equally among the players who have chips left in it.