Poker is a card game played between players for an amount of money or chips contributed by the players themselves (called the pot). The rules of poker vary slightly from one variant to another, but the core game is the same. Individuals compete for their share of the pot by predicting what cards are held by their opponents and how they will behave at the table. The game is a mix of chance and skill, with the latter being more evident in games that feature betting.
Official poker is usually played with a standard pack of 52 cards, though some variant games may use multiple packs or add jokers. The cards are ranked in order from high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Some variants of poker include wild cards, which can take on whatever rank and suit their owner desires.
If a player acts out of turn, they will be penalized for doing so. This includes if a player peeks at another player’s cards, as was the case with Paul Phua at the 2007 World Championship of Online Poker. This type of behavior is not only rude, but it breaks poker rules as it is considered ghosting, which is heavily prohibited.