Official poker is a set of rules that have been adopted by the international poker community to avoid disputes at casinos and poker tournaments. The International Poker Federation (FIDPA) has compiled these rules in order to create a global standard for poker.

The rules of the game vary, depending on the specific game and region. However, there are some basic principles that all players should know in order to play well at the table.

A player’s starting stack is the number of chips that are placed on the table in front of them at the start of the game. This amount is usually in proportion to the blinds. For example, a $1/$2 game has a minimum and maximum of $40/20x the big blind, while a $200 game has a minimum and maximum of 100x the big blind.

After each betting round, the player with the best hand in a pot wins it. The winner of the pot is determined according to the official poker hand rankings, which are not part of Texas hold’em rules but apply to many other games as well.

If a player wishes to remain in the game without making a bet, they may check. This is an option that is available to all players in a betting interval, provided no one else in the betting interval has made a bet.

A player who checks when they are not entitled to do so will be penalized. This is a rule that is designed to prevent players from acting out of turn and to speed up the game.