Poker is one of the oldest card games in the world and it is believed to be an ancestor of other card games like blackjack and rummy. It is played with two or more players and the object of the game is to make the best five-card hand. The game is fast-paced and betting happens continuously throughout the hand until one player has all the chips or everyone folds. Several different variations of the game are played, including Texas hold’em, seven-card stud, Omaha, crazy pineapple, Dr. Pepper, and more.
Before the cards are even dealt, the rules of the poker game may require that each player put an initial contribution into the pot, called an ante. Then, players can choose to “call” that bet, which means they will place into the pot a number of chips equal to or higher than the amount put in by the player to their left; or raise that bet, meaning they will put more than the previous player into the pot.
When the flop is revealed, each player will have 7 cards total to create their best hand: the two personal cards in their hands and the 5 community cards on the table. The highest hand is a royal flush, which consists of all five cards of the same rank. A straight is 5 consecutive cards of the same suit, while a three of a kind is 3 matching cards of the same rank and 2 unmatched cards. Two pair is made up of two cards of the same rank, plus another two cards of a different rank, while one pair is just two matching cards of the same rank.
