The game of Poker involves betting and forming five cards into a “hand”. Players have chips that they place into the pot and can raise or fold. The goal is to make the best hand with your two private cards and the community cards. The highest-ranking hands win the pot. If no one has a winning hand, the players share the pot equally. It is common for rules to be set up before the game starts that determine how money is shared when the game is over.
The earliest written reference to the game dates back to 1836, but it spread quickly. By the time of the American Civil War, poker had expanded to use a full 52-card English deck and additional rules like high-low split-pot, lowball and community card games.
Players begin each round by placing an ante into the pot. They are then dealt 2 cards face-down (hidden from other players). The player to the left of the big blind begins a betting phase, known as pre-flop betting. The dealer then deals three more cards, face up, to the table as community cards, referred to as the flop. There is another betting phase.
Players take turns clockwise around the table revealing their hands. The final betting phase occurs after the reveal, and only those players who did not fold have a chance to win that round. A key part of poker is reading other players’ nonverbal cues, called tells, and adjusting your strategy based on this information.