Generally speaking, poker is a family of card games which consists of a standard 52-card deck. Players wager on the best hand they can make according to the rules of the game. It is played with plastic or ceramic chips.
A player begins the game by posting a small or big blind. The small blind is the smallest of the two blind bets. The big blind is the bigger of the two.
Cards are dealt face up, unless the table is set up so that the cards are dealt clockwise around the table. The deck may be either a full 52-card deck or a short pack, which contains fewer cards. The deck is usually shuffled by the dealer.
A player’s hand is comprised of three to five cards. One pair is made up of two cards of the same suit, while two pairs are made up of five cards. The kicker is the highest-ranking card left in the deck for any hand. If a player has four cards of the same rank, it is considered a “high card” or “Ace.”
The pot is the area of money that is shared by all the players in the hand. The size of the pot is determined by the bets and raises that are placed in the pot.
The showdown occurs when the hands are revealed. The winner takes the pot. If more than one player remains in the hand after the final round of betting, a side pot is created. Normally, this pot is separate from the main pot.