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How to Play Poker

How to Play Poker

When you play poker, you will almost always use poker chips. These chips come in varying values. White chips are worth the least. Red chips are worth five whites, blue chips are worth two, four, or five reds, and the highest value chip is usually twenty. Before a game, players “buy in” by purchasing chips with the same denomination as those of the players before them. The amount of money that a player buys in usually determines the amount of chips that they can win.

The lowest hand in a hand is called a low pair. If two players have five identical cards, the lowest pair is the highest pair. The second-lowest pair breaks ties. When more than one player has two pairs, the player with the highest pair wins. A straight is a five-card hand. If two players have five straights, the higher card wins the pot. If neither player has a pair, a player has the higher pair.

The rules of poker vary slightly by casino. However, the basic principles are the same. Most games involve an ante and blind bets. Players place these bets before being dealt with their hole cards. If the dealer has a pair of kings, he will bet against him. The dealer will then deal the cards to the players one by one. The poker hands develop between rounds. The dealer must decide whether to deal the cards face-up or face-down.