Poker is a card game in which players compete to form the highest ranking hand based on the rules of the game. Each player begins the hand with two cards (sometimes called their “hole” or “private” cards) and five community cards are dealt. The highest ranked hand wins the “pot” at the end of each betting interval. Players may also bet additional chips into the pot if they wish to raise the stakes. The game can be played with a standard 52-card deck and some variant games add jokers or other wild cards.
The first bet in a round is called the ante. This bet is forced by the players to the left of the dealer. Each player must either call the amount of the bet or fold their hand, and thus drop out of the current hand. If they choose to call, then they must put chips into the pot equal to or more than the bet that was raised.
After the ante is placed, each player receives their two cards and a fifth card is dealt (“flop”). A second round of betting then commences. If a player wishes to remain in the hand without calling any bets, they may “check,” provided that no one before them has made a check.
Often, the best part of an article about Poker is not the cards or the betting, but the players’ reactions to the events occurring in the scene. Describing who flinched, who smiled, and who didn’t even blink can add a lot of character to an otherwise dull story about Poker.