Poker is a game of bluffing, and the skill of minimising losses with poor hands and maximising winnings with good ones is fundamental. This is achieved by making intelligent bets, which requires a knowledge of what constitutes a good hand and how often a player may expect to get it in a pack of cards.

Bets are made verbally or by pushing out chips. If a player does both, a clear and reasonable verbal declaration takes precedence over the chips, but in unclear or contradictory situations, a TD will determine what the bet is. See Rule 1.

Regional or unofficial betting terms and gestures are at the player’s risk, as they can be interpreted in ways other than what is intended. In addition, players should be aware that tapping the table is a check.

A player may “check” (drop out of the hand) provided that no one before them in the current betting interval has bet and they are not facing a raised bet. A player who checks cannot bet in turn but may call a bet or raise an opponent’s raised bet.

During play of a hand, the stub must be re-shuffled whenever the card count is not accurate, or when a player’s cards are exposed to other players in an inappropriate way. See Rules 39 and RP-5.

When tables are broken during a session, incoming dealers should be informed by outgoing dealers of the blind information and any existing or potential infractions of Rule 2 or Rule 70. This will help reduce errors and delays, as well as ensure that players are properly seated and that they receive the correct amount of action.