A Guide to the Official Poker Rules

Poker is one of the most popular card games in the world, with many variants. Each of these different variations has its own rules, but all share certain basic features.

The object of each deal is to win the pot, which is the aggregate of all bets made during the deal. This may be done by having the highest-ranking hand or by making a bet that no other player calls.

To play, each player “buys in” by purchasing a certain number of chips. The amount of these chips depends on the rules of the game being played; for example, a white chip is worth whatever the minimum ante or bet is, while a red chip is worth five whites and a blue chip is worth 10 or 20 or 25 whites.

Players must make sure that they are legally entitled to act, meaning that they can do so if three or more other players have not acted before them. They can also forfeit their right to act if they fail to stop the action by announcing “time” (or an equivalent word).

Rules of Poker

The main rule in poker is that no card can be marked or damaged in any way. This prevents cheating and collusion among the players. A card is considered dead if it is marked, damaged, or mucked. The only exception to this rule is that a player can call attention to a joker before acting on it, in which case the joker is replaced by a new card.