Basic Poker Gameplay
Poker is not actually just one game; rather poker is a set of card games that share betting rules as well as hand rankings. A lot of different kinds of poker exist, and they can usually be classified into four different families; Straight, Stud, Draw, and Community. Regardless of what kind of poker variant a person may prefer to play though; unless the game is video poker, it is normally a group activity, where people can get together an enjoy themselves while gambling.
In more casual gambling settings, the person who deals the cards in a game or session usually rotates. The dealer in a game is normally singled out by a marker or token called a "dealer button." This dealer button is also called a "buck," which could also be where the term "pass the buck" came from. In a casino though, the person in charge of dealing out the cards is an employee of the casino; a trained professional.
In casino poker, while the person dealing does not play, the buck -which is usually a white plastic disk in casinos- a nominal dealer is normally determined, and this buck is rotated clockwise, so that there is less confusion about the betting order. Before dealing out the cards, a dealer must first cut and shuffle the cards. The player to the right of the dealer then cuts the cards, and the dealer deals these cards out one at a time. During the first part of the game, and sometimes throughout the game, one or more players have to make forced bets. This usually gets the betting ball rolling, so to speak.
Depending on what kind of poker game is being played, cards can be dealt either face-down, or face-up. After this first deal, the first betting round can begin. Depending on luck, the players, as well as the poker variant being played, there can be very few or very many betting rounds for a single deal. Usually, between betting rounds, a player can strategically develop or improve their cards as additional cards are dealt or replaced. All of the bets are gathered into the pot -or the collective amount that a person can win in poker- after each round.
In any round, if someone bets and no one calls on that bet or everyone folds, then the one remaining person who made the bet is given the entire pot, and the hand is ended. When there is only one player left standing, cards do not have to be shown, and the next hand can begin without anyone seeing their opponents' hands.
