The game of poker does have official rules and these are governed by the Professional Tournament Directors Association (the Poker TDA). The Poker TDA is an organization that manages many large live and online poker tournaments and events. It is the body that enforces the poker rules and is often responsible for dealing with player disputes.

The Poker TDA is also responsible for a number of other important poker rules that are important to understand as a player. One of these is the rule that players must verbally state their intentions to act in a hand. This means that if you say that you are going to raise, you are legally bound to that action. In addition, if you say that you are calling a bet, you must do so.

Another important poker rule is that you must not peek at another player’s cards. This is an important part of good gamemanship and is a sign of respect. However, there have been a number of high profile cases where players have been accused of violating this rule, including the dealer mucking a player’s hand and Ali Imsirovic peeking at Paul Phua’s cards during his Stones live $5/$10 game.

A final point to consider is that you must play the cards that are dealt to you. This is another key aspect of good gamesmanship and is an integral part of the game. Poker is played with a standard card deck, and a variety of poker variants use different card suits and ranks.