Poker is an incredibly popular game played everywhere from private homes to famous casinos. It’s a game of chance, but it also requires a great deal of skill.

There are hundreds of different poker variants, but all share a number of rules and principles that are essential for fair play. The International Federation of Poker (FIDPA) has created a set of 81 official poker rules that are freely available online. Using these official poker rules will help you avoid most of the disputes that can occur at the poker table.

While there’s a lot of luck involved in poker, it is not a fair game if players behave unethically or break the rules. Whether they are cheating or exposing their cards, these actions are against the rules and will result in punishment or disqualification.

One of the main poker rules is that you must never reveal the strength of your holding to other players. This includes not reacting to the flop after you’ve folded your hand or trying to give advice. It’s also important to remember that you can’t reveal your poker face by talking or gesturing at the table.

Poker uses a standard 52-card pack, sometimes with the addition of jokers, which can act as wild cards. The cards are ranked from high to low in four suits: spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. In most games, a single player acts as dealer, but in some, a player to the left of the dealer acts as “button” and places forced bets into the pot before being dealt any cards (if there is no ante). Some poker games also have a special kitty fund that allows players to contribute additional low-denomination chips to pay for new decks of cards or food and drinks.