The Basics of Poker
The basic rules of poker are simple. The objective of the game is to win the pot — the money or chips placed in the center of the table. This is accomplished in one of two ways. Either you can show your opponents the best hand, which may be a high hand or a low hand, depending on the particular variation of poker that you are playing, or you can bluff and convince them you have the best hand. In some forms of poker, the best high hand and the best low hand each win half the pot. This variation is known as a split-pot game.
Each poker hand is begun by seeding the pot with a token amount of money in the form of an ante or one or more blind bets. If an ante is used, everyone must put a small percentage of the initial bet into the pot. If blinds are used, one or more players will be designated to post a bet or a partial bet before receiving any cards. Blinds usually are rotated around the table, so everyone pays his fair share.
During the play of a hand, opportunities to bet and raise occur after each round of cards is dealt. If at any time you choose not to continue in the hand, you may discard it, thus forfeiting your interest in the pot. This means, of course, that you do not have to put any additional money into the pot.
If you are the bettor or raiser and no one calls your last bet, you win the pot. If one or more players do call, then the person with the best hand wins the pot.
Poker is as simple as that. Yet this basic set of rules, plus a few additional ones specific to each form of poker, produces a most wonderful game. It’s a game that many people will play for a lifetime — some very seriously, but countless others for enjoyment alone.
