The professional Tournament Directors Association (PTDA) is the organization that regulates the game of poker. Founded in 2001, the organization has more than 2,500 members in more than 63 countries, including managers of large live poker rooms, circuits, and independent tournaments. Its founder, Marcel Luske, is a legendary poker player in the Netherlands.

There are a number of official poker rules that a player must follow, including the correct way to fold a hand and a player’s reaction to a flop. These rules help keep mistakes to a minimum. It is also important to remember that it is unethical to play in a way that involves angle shooting.

Players in a heads-up poker game play five hands at a time, each of which contains four face-up cards. After one betting round, the hand of each player is compared. If the three columns of his or her cards are better than the others, that player wins the hand. Otherwise, the winner is the player who has the highest five-card hand.

After the betting is over, the game reaches a showdown and decides the winner of the pot. A tie for the best hand is called a split pot. A split pot can also be the result of an agreement prior to the showdown, such as a player tying the big blind and making the small blind a lesser one.