As poker has evolved into an international game, with players traveling the globe and competing in tournaments all over the world, there’s been a growing interest in building a consistent set of official rules. Currently, different games have their own rules, leading to confusion and conflicts, especially when players are travelling between venues and countries.

The TDA is a group of professional poker tournament directors that works to standardize the game’s rules and regulations. The group, which now includes managers of large live and online poker rooms, circuits and poker leagues, meets every two years for the Poker TDA Summit to discuss issues related to poker tournaments.

Poker is a card game played by individuals for cash in the form of chips. A deck of 52 cards is used along with one or two jokers as wild cards. The dealer determines the ante amount and any other special rules before dealing the cards. Each player then has the option to check, call, raise or fold. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot according to official poker hand rankings.

Players must use standard betting terms such as bet, raise, call and fold; however, regional terms may meet the official requirements if they are simple, unmistakable and time-honored. They must also keep their hands visible at all times, avoid obstructing other players and maintain good card and chip visibility and countability. In addition, offensive hygiene and excessive chatter are strictly prohibited.