Official Poker Rules

Poker is a card game of chance and skill. It is played from a standard pack of 52 cards (although some games use more than one pack and add extra cards, called jokers). The card ranking from high to low is: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3. The highest hand wins. Each player must act in turn when it is their turn to bet. A verbally stated action, such as a bet, call or fold, is binding.

The game is almost always played with poker chips and the dealer keeps a record of each player’s total amount in play. Each player buys in for a set number of chips at the start of the game. Each chip has a specific value, usually white chips are worth one, red ones are worth five, and blue chips are worth 10 or 20 whites. The most common game is Texas hold ’em which has replaced seven-card stud as the most popular form of the game. It is also the main event of many major tournaments such as the World Series of Poker.

Players, dealers and the floor are entitled to a reasonable estimation of their opponents’ chip stacks (Rule 25). Visible and countable chip stacks greatly improve counting accuracy. A player who is all-in on the last betting round may request a more accurate count if they are the only remaining players to act. It is unacceptable to make private agreements that remove any prize money from the event, especially if these private agreements are agreed upon during a tournament.