Poker is played by a small group of players around a table, each with their own stack of chips. The game is fast-paced and the players bet continuously until someone has all the chips or everyone folds. Players can say “check” if they don’t want to pay into the pot at that time, but this only works if no one has raised on them in the same betting interval. If a player raises on another, they must either call or drop their hand.
The dealer shuffles the cards and deals them to each player one at a time, starting with the player to their left. Then, there is a round of betting, and 2 mandatory bets called blinds are put into the pot by the two players to the left of the dealer.
A standard poker hand is made up of five cards. The rank of the cards is determined by their odds (probability), with the highest being four of a kind and the lowest being a pair. Ties are broken by the highest unmatched cards or secondary pairs (in a full house, for example).
A good poker strategy is to play both strong and weak hands. This makes the game more interesting, and it prevents you from getting bored with your own hands. It is also important to never show your cards, as this gives your opponents information that they can use against you in future rounds. This is something that Phil Ivey is excellent at, and he rarely shows his hand unless absolutely necessary.