The Basics of Poker

A game of poker is a gambling activity where players compete against each other to win the pot. Depending on the game, each player is required to ante, or put some money into the pot, before they can start betting. When betting, players move in a clockwise fashion and the highest hand wins the pot. The process continues until all players either fold or call. If someone is left out of the hand, they are out. Afterward, the remaining players continue betting until they either call or fold.

After the first round of betting, everyone is all in the pot, and they each have one chance to discard up to three cards. Brad and Charley discard three cards, and Dennis discard two. After the first round of betting, Brad and Dennis each have a hand of three kings, while Dennis and Charley each have a hand of three spades and a pair. In this situation, the highest three of a kind wins.

A player may also choose to “drop” a hand if he does not have a high enough ranking. A player who chooses to fold a hand is said to “drop” or “fold”. This is due to the fact that a player can no longer compete for the pot after he or she has folded. However, if two players have the same ranking, the tied players are able to split the pot. Once tied, they split the pot.