Generally, poker is played by a group of people around a circular table. Each player receives seven cards and the player with the best hand wins the pot. In some variants, the cards are dealt face down. Poker also involves betting, which adds to its psychological aspect.
The initial dealer deals the cards one at a time. The player with the highest card receives the dealer’s button and becomes the first dealer. The dealer button is typically a white plastic disk. The dealer button is also known as a buck.
In the drawing phase, cards are dealt face down. A player may be dealt a full hand or a half hand. A full hand is made up of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. The highest pair wins. If two identical hands tie, the high card breaks the tie.
In the betting phase, each player bets on the cards they hold. This betting is done in clockwise order. When betting, each player puts in the same number of chips as the previous player. If a player folds, he loses any chips in the pot.
A player can “raise” or “drop” the bet. A “raise” is a larger bet than a player’s last bet. A “drop” is a smaller bet than a player’s last. A “drop” is a forced bet. A forced bet is either a blind bet or an ante. A player may also “bluff,” which means to convince an opponent to fold.