Poker is a card game in which individuals compete for an amount of money or chips contributed by all players, called the pot. A player may raise or fold his or her hand after evaluating the strength of other players’ hands.
In the modern game of poker, a standard 52-card pack is used with one or two jokers. The decks are shuffled before each deal. Each player is dealt two cards face down, then five community cards are dealt in stages (a series of three cards called “the flop”, followed by an additional card known as the turn”, and finally a final card known as the river”). Players try to make the best five-card poker hand using their own hole cards and the community cards.
A player who moves all of his or her chips into the pot without declaring a bet is said to be all-in. This is an indication of confidence in the hand and can discourage other players from calling.
The act of putting your hand over another player’s in order to protect it from prying eyes. Typically done when a player has a weak hand and wishes to prevent others from seeing it.
In a poker game, the term level refers to the current size of the blinds and or antes. It is generally considered to be rude and disrespectful to talk about the level of an opponent’s stack, but it can be beneficial for your own game if done correctly.