Poker is one of the most popular card games around, both online and offline. Although poker is often seen as a game of chance, it actually involves quite a bit of skill and psychology – especially when betting is involved!
A standard 52-card deck is used with the addition of one or two jokers. Traditionally, poker was played with just one pack of cards per deal, but now almost all card clubs use two packs of contrasting colors in order to speed up the deal. The previous dealer assembles the cards from the pack he dealt, shuffles them, and passes them to the next dealer to start the deal.
During the betting round you can say “call” (match the amount of the current open bet or raise, which all players must match to stay in the hand). You can also say “raise” if you want to add more money to the pot. If you raise, the other players must either call your new bet or fold their cards.
After the first betting round is complete, the dealer will put three more cards face up on the table, which are the community cards that anyone can use. Then the second betting round starts. If you still have a hand then it is time to go to the showdown, where the best five card poker hand wins! During this stage you can also draw replacement cards to help improve your hand, depending on the rules of the specific game.