Official poker is a game of cards played for money or chips contributed by players themselves. The amount of money a player wins is dependent on his or her skill and prediction of the hand held by their opponents. There are many variants of poker, but they all rely on one basic mechanic: betting in rounds.

The basic rules of poker include a standard set of betting terms, such as bet, raise, call, fold, check, all-in, and pot (pot limit only). Players should use these terms to communicate with their opponents. Using other terms or gestures is at the player’s own risk and may result in a ruling other than what he or she intended.

During a betting round, one player acts as dealer (or button). The player to his or her left must place a forced bet of a minimum amount before the cards are dealt. The player to his or her right must match or raise this amount in order to remain in the game. In some games, the players may establish a kitty, a fund for buying new decks of cards or food and drinks. Any chips left in the kitty when the game ends are divided equally among the players who remain in the game.

Most players buy a set of poker chips, which are standardized to have different colors that represent the values of each chip. A white chip is worth the minimum ante or bet; a red chip is worth five whites; and a blue chip is worth 10 whites.