Poker is a card game in which players place chips representing money into the pot, or center of action. Each player receives five cards and must then make a bet based on the value of their hand. Players can also choose to pass on their turn if they don’t want to bet. If a player has a high enough hand, they win the pot. The highest possible hand is a royal flush, which contains the highest cards in sequence and rank (e.g., 10-8-6-3-2). A full house consists of 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 matching cards of another rank. A straight is 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. A pair is two identical cards of the same rank, such as two sixes.

In most games, the first player to act places an ante in the center of the table. The next player must either match or raise the amount of the previous player’s bet or fold. If a player folds, they collect the amount of the bet from the other players.

Writing an article about poker requires good research skills and a strong understanding of the rules of the game. It is also important to know how different types of players think and react during a game, including their tells. The narrator must be able to convey these emotions to the reader, even if they do not know what is happening in the players’ heads.