In poker, there are different hands that a player can have to win the pot. For example, you might have two pairs of aces and one pair of twos. This is known as a four of a kind. You can also have a straight, which is when you have five cards of the same rank.
To start a hand, a player must ante, or put money in the pot before playing. This amount can vary depending on the game, but in general, players ante up to a certain amount, and then place a bet into the middle of the table. The highest hand wins the pot. The betting process in poker is done clockwise. Once you’ve placed an initial bet, you have three options: raise, fold, or raise again.
When playing, a player’s goal is to get the best five-card hand possible. To win the pot, he or she must beat the other players’ best five-card hand. When the other players don’t make a hand, the pot is divided among them equally. Then the players reveal their cards in the final betting phase.
Players can also check to pass the action to the next player in the hand. The action starts with the player to the left of the dealer’s button and continues until the last bet or raise has been made.
