Before the first hand of the game, players contribute a small amount of money known as the ante. This amount immediately gives the pot value, and a player can then decide to go all-in and place all of his chips in the pot. If more than 10 players are involved, two separate games can be organized. These variations are described later in this chapter. A player may call a pot when the odds are good enough to win the game.

The goal of poker is to develop a higher-ranking hand than the other players. To do this, players must bet until all other players fold. In a winning hand, the player with the highest-ranking hand wins all the money that was bet during the previous round. In a tie, the pot is divided among all players. To begin playing, players must choose their ante and the number of chips they want to bet.

In a game of poker, ante and blind are used to describe two different betting intervals. Each betting interval is unique, but they all share the same basic concept. The player who is in the ante has the privilege of being the first to make a bet. During each betting interval, he must bet a certain amount of chips equal to the contribution of the player before him. This player is known as the “active player.”