Poker is a popular game that can be played from a single pack of cards, or in many variants, from multiple packs or with the addition of jokers. The cards are ranked from highest to lowest, and there are four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs).
A round of betting occurs after each player is dealt two down cards that they cannot see. The dealer then deals three community cards, also called the flop, turn and river, and players can make decisions based on their down and community cards.
There are many different types of poker games, but the most common are Texas Hold’em and Omaha. Each type has a different set of rules and uses different methods to deal cards.
Before a hand begins, each player must ante a certain amount of money, which is usually a nickel. When a bet is made, the next player in the clockwise direction can call, match or raise.
The pot is a sum of money that is divided evenly among all players in the hand. The pot winner is the player with the highest hand at the end of the hand.
In most tournaments, the players receive only a small percentage of the total prize pool. This can make tournaments less interesting than cash games, where there are more chips at stake.
The International Poker Federation (FIDPA) is the organization responsible for establishing a set of standardized poker rules for games and tournaments around the world. These 81 rules, which are freely available on their website, are designed to eliminate the majority of disputes and misunderstandings that can occur between poker players from one country to another.