Poker is a card game where players bet on the strength of their hands. The highest hand wins the pot. Each player begins the betting by putting in a small amount of chips or cash into the middle of the table (the “pot”). Each subsequent player can choose to either call that bet, raise it further, or drop out of the hand.
If a player raises the stakes too often they risk losing all their money before they can make the best possible hand. For this reason most games limit the number of times a stake can be raised by one player. After a certain number of raises, the stake is too high and players are forced to leave the game for financial reasons rather than any issues with their hand.
The game is played with a minimum of five players and a maximum of 10 players. In the case of a game with more than 10 players it may be necessary to split into two groups and play separate games.
Each player starts by putting in a small bet called a “blind”. This is typically a nickel or other low denomination. Players then are dealt cards in turn.
The first player to the left of the dealer (this person is also known as the button) starts the betting with a bet. Betting continues in a clockwise direction and the person who calls the most bets at the end of a hand is declared the winner of the pot, which is all the money that has been placed during that particular betting period.