Poker is a card game of chance, but it also requires skill and psychology. Each player places an ante (the amount of which varies by game) and then they are dealt cards. Players then bet into a pot in the middle, and the highest hand wins.

The opening betting period is usually low and quiet, with players feeling each other out and making a few bluffs. Then the action starts to heat up and bets are raised. Players can either “call” that bet by putting into the pot the same number of chips as the player before them, raise the bet by more than they did or simply drop out of the hand by not raising at all.

As the betting continues, players try to create a winning five card “hand” by using their two personal cards and the five community cards on the table. A royal flush is five consecutive cards of the same rank. A straight is 5 cards that skip around in rank but are all from the same suit. Four of a kind is 4 matching cards of the same rank. A pair is two matching cards of the same rank, a high card or a low card like two six’s.

Tournaments come in a variety of sizes, but the smallest are local or weekly events that involve a small group of players playing cash games. Larger tournaments may include multiple events and take place over a span of days or even weeks.