Poker is a card game that requires a certain amount of luck, but it also relies on players to read opponents and to make big bluffs. Some consider poker a game of strategy, but others see it as a competition of raw skill. Regardless of whether you view it as a game of chance or skill, there are some fundamental rules that are the same in all poker games.
Generally, a poker game involves an ante and/or blind bet. Once players put in these bets, they are dealt cards, known as hole cards. These are cards that they keep hidden from their opponents. Players use these cards and the community cards to create a hand. The highest hand wins.
The rank of a poker hand is determined by its odds, with the highest possible being five of a kind. A tie is broken by the highest unmatched card or secondary pairs (such as fours of a kind).
Most poker games are played with chips, rather than cash. This is done for a variety of reasons, including the fact that chips are easier to stack and count, easier to make change with, and more psychologically appealing to players. In addition to the actual money, a poker game will require a standard 52-card pack plus a joker, often called the bug, which counts as the fifth ace or to fill a flush, a straight, or certain special hands. The game will also require a large table and chairs.