Official poker is a card game played for real money where players make wagers with chips that represent currency. A number of different variants of the game exist, but all feature betting actions and a community pot with the aim of forming the best five-card poker hand. In the most common form of the game, cards are dealt to each player face down (these are called hole cards). Then five community cards are dealt in stages: three (“the flop”) and then an additional single card (“the turn” or “fifth street”). Each poker player makes a final hand from their two hole cards and the five community cards.
Most casinos provide poker players with chip trays that are designed to hold multiple denominations of chips and simplify the handling of large amounts. Occasionally a casino dealer may allow a player to make change between hands with their own unused chips if they see that they are running low on an oft-used value. However, this is frowned upon by most players, and can lead to delays as casino staff try to keep track of these transactions.
In poker tournaments, the rules governing how players must act in specific situations are more rigid. For example, a player must always be at their seat for the initial deal of each hand. If they are not, their hand will be dead and the chips needed for antes and blinds must be put into the pot. Absent players will be dealt in, and if necessary, a member of casino staff or a neighboring player under staff supervision can post ante and fold on their behalf.