In a round of poker, a player may raise his stake or fold his hand. If the player raises his stake, then all other players must call him or fold. In the example above, Brad and Charley each have two cards, while Dennis has one card and no other cards. Dennis raises his stake, indicating that he is looking to make a straight or flush.
Each betting interval starts with a player’s bet. All players then place chips into the pot equal to the amount of chips that the player before him has put in. In addition, the player who placed the chips into the pot is referred to as an active player. However, if a player doesn’t raise his or her bets, then he is not regarded as an active player.
The objective of the game of poker is to make the best possible hand possible with the cards you’re dealt. The top-ranked hand will win the pot, which is all of the money bet during the hand. However, if a draw occurs, the pot is split among the players. After the round of betting, the players must reveal their cards to see if they have a winning hand.
Poker can be played with any number of players, although 6-8 players are ideal. There are also several variants, such as Three-Card Monte and Spit-in-the-Ocean, which have fewer than five cards.