Poker is a card game played with chips (representing money). Players have two cards, and aim to make the best 5 card hand they can with those cards and the five community cards. The game requires both skill and psychology, especially when betting is involved. A good article on poker should explain these aspects of the game, and include personal anecdotes and examples of different techniques. It should also mention the tells, the unconscious habits that a player exhibits during a hand which reveal information about their card holding.
Before the cards are dealt, one or more players must place chips in the pot (representing money), as dictated by the rules of the particular poker variant being played. These chips are known as the “blind bets” and help to create a financial incentive for players to continue playing the hand. The player to the immediate left of the button has the option to call a blind raise, or fold.
If a player chooses to stay in the hand, he must raise at least the amount of the last player’s bet. This is called equalization, and it prevents a player from simply calling every raise to remain in the hand, which can quickly drain the pot.
When all players have finished putting bets in, their hands are revealed and the highest ranked hand wins the pot. Ties are broken using the high card method – a high pair, three distinct pairs, a flush, a straight, or a full house.