Poker Rules

The game of poker is a family of card games which shares the same betting systems and rules. There are three main variants but all share the same patterns of essential game play. Poker rules are really quite easy to understand and the basics can be picked up by anyone in a short space of time.

Poker involves a group of players sitting around the poker table with a certain amount of chips to place their bets. One player will deal the cards to each player in turn and the game moves in a clockwise rotation. If the game has forced bets involved, then the first two players to the left of the dealer will place big blind and small blind bets. These are compulsory poker rules bets which grow larger as the game progresses.

The third player to the dealer's left will then start the betting and it is up to the following players to call the bet. When a player does call the bet he is simply matching the bet placed. The player can also raise the initial bet and this has to be matched by all the following players unless they fold. Play will then continue as long as there are two players willing to carry on placing bets, even when all the cards are dealt. The game will end when all players call the bet and then the cards will be shown and the winning hand will take the pot.

As you can see, poker rules are really quite straightforward in as much as the cards are dealt and each player places a bet which is either matched or raised by the other players. The option to fold at any time is the poker player's prerogative, but any bets placed before the fold will remain in the pot for the winner to take.