A winning poker strategy involves aggressive play against players with weak hands. As a result, players from late positions can manipulate the pot in later betting streets. However, early players must avoid playing weak hands and calling re-raises with marginal hands. In addition, players from early positions should avoid being aggressive when they are defended by opponents.

Unless wild cards are involved, the highest card wins the hand. If there are more than five players, two separate games can be organized. However, if the first person has a pair, the higher card wins. If the players on the right of you do not have a pair, then the hand with the highest card wins.

Usually, a player will ante a certain amount to enter the game. Next, players bet into the middle pot of the table. When all players have raised, the highest hand wins the pot. Betting occurs clockwise. Until the last player calls or folds, betting continues. For example, in a hand of five-card stud, a player can make a bet with a pair of kings if he has the lowest hand.

Limit and no-limit games have different betting rules. In limit games, the maximum bet per player is the size of the pot. In no-limit games, players can bet their entire stack. A typical no-limit Texas Hold’em game uses a $1/$2 small blind and a $2/$3 big blind. The betting limits vary by game type, but there are some basic rules that apply to all poker games.