Poker is a card game in which players compete for an amount of money or chips (called the pot) contributed by each player. Whether they are betting one, two or three of their own cards and the community cards in a hand, players attempt to control the amount of money in the pot by making their predictions as to what their opponents might do.

There are many variants of poker, but the basic rules are identical across all. Players must ante some amount (amount varies by game, our games are typically a nickel) before they are dealt cards and then bet into the pot when it is their turn to act. The highest winning hand takes the pot.

Players can raise, call or fold. When a player raises they must bet the same amount as the person to their left or higher. This process continues until everyone folds or someone makes a bet that is called.

A player is allowed to talk about the board, but they may not discuss their own hand or give any coaching. If a player discusses their own hand they could be breaking poker rules and may face forfeiting their stack in tournament play or being kicked out of the game.

While it is more difficult to break poker rules in live poker, it does still happen. In April, for example, Ali Imsirovic was caught peeking at Paul Phua’s hole cards during a streamed event. It is not considered cheating per se, but it violates poker rules and is against good gamesmanship.