In official poker, players compete against one another for an amount of money or chips contributed by the players themselves (called the pot). The game is conducted at a table with a deck of cards. The cards are dealt randomly and the players attempt to control the amount of money in the pot based on their hand and on their prediction as to what their opponents may be holding or how they might behave.

Rules

When playing official poker, players are expected to follow the rules and act in a courteous manner. Any violation of these rules can lead to a warning, suspension from play for a specified length of time or disqualification from the tournament.

Buying In

A full buy-in for a game is at least 10 times the maximum bet for that game, unless designated otherwise. A short buy-in is only allowed when a player’s stack is below the minimum bet for that game, unless designated differently.

Pushing Forward With Chips

In limit poker, if you make a move and someone raises in response to your action, you are committed to completing that amount of betting. If no other players raise, you can reopen the pot and complete your bet if you are facing less than half the original amount of chips in the pot.

Dead Cards

In poker, any card marked or damaged in some way is considered dead. This is done to prevent cheating and collusion among players.