Poker is a card game played in hundreds of variations around the world. It can be played socially for pennies or matchsticks, or professionally for thousands of dollars.
Poker requires a lot of skill, and each player must be the master of his own fate. The best players are quick to calculate pot odds and percentages, have patience to wait for optimal hands, and know when to quit a game and try again another day.
The game begins with a deal of cards and a series of betting rounds. During each round, each player to the left of the dealer has the option of calling, raising, or dropping their chips.
Calling implies putting the same number of chips into the pot as the previous player; raises require more than that; and dropping means putting no chips into the pot, discarding your hand, and not betting until the next round.
During each betting round, the dealer deals three cards face up on the table that anyone can use. During each round, the dealer will also show one card to each player in contention.
When all players have folded, the dealer will reveal each player’s cards and the winner is determined by the highest single card. In some variants of the game, the player who has the best five-card poker hand takes the pot without being required to reveal their cards.