Poker is a card game in which players make bets with chips that they place into a pot. A player’s actions are chosen on the basis of probability, psychology, and game theory. While the outcome of a particular hand may involve significant chance, poker requires considerable skill in order to win long-term expectations.
A small bet that all players are required to contribute to the pot before a hand is dealt. An ante gives the pot value right off the bat and allows players to evaluate their options before making a bet.
The best possible poker hand is a royal flush (a 10, Jack, Queen, and King of the same suit). A straight is five cards in consecutive rank and of the same suit. Three of a kind is three matching cards of the same rank, and two pairs are four cards of the same rank with two unmatched cards.
A duplicated card on the board that drastically devalues a player’s hand. For example, if a player has a pair of 6’s and the board is ace-ace-7-4, they have been counterfeited, meaning any other player can now beat them.
A player’s position in relation to the button (or buck). The position to the right of the button is first in line for dealing and betting. The button is a plastic disk that indicates the dealer and is passed clockwise after each hand. The player to the left of the button may offer the shuffled pack to the player to their right for a cut, and if that player declines, any other player may choose to cut.