The game of poker is played with two decks of cards, one for each player. The player to the left of the dealer button gets the first card, and the dealer then pitches the cards clockwise around the table. Each player gets two cards as their starting hand, and before a hand is decided, two players must post “blinds,” or forced bets. These blinds are small amounts of money that are placed into the pot before the game begins. Poker without blinds would be boring, since all players would have to put their money into the pot. However, blinds keep poker ‘action-packed’ by giving players something to chase between hands.

There are many variants of poker. In five-card draw, for example, each player puts an ante into the pot. This is followed by a round of betting. After the initial betting round, each player is allowed to discard up to three cards and take a new card from the top of the deck. The remaining players then reveal their cards and the action continues.

There is also a statistical element to poker. While some players have luckier sessions than others, the game of poker still involves risk and reward. As the game progresses, the proportion of unlucky hands decreases. As a result, the expected value of poker hands will approach the normal bell-shaped curve.