Poker is a card game played between two players. The objective is to have the best hand of five cards, which is known as a “hand.” The player who holds the best hand wins, as does the player with the highest total. In the event of a draw, the pot is divided equally between the players.
Poker can be played in many different formats. Some variations involve more than seven players. In games with more than seven players, poker chips must be provided. There are five different kinds of poker chips. White chips are the lowest-valued, and red chips are worth five or ten whites. Dark-colored chips, meanwhile, are worth two, four, or five reds.
In casual play, the right to deal a poker hand rotates among players, while the house dealer deals the cards for each hand. The dealer button is a white plastic disk, and determines the order of betting. Traditionally, cards are dealt around the poker table in clockwise motion. The player on the left of the dealer’s position is known as the dealer.
Poker has many variants, but the two most common forms are stud poker and draw poker.