Poker is a game played between two or more players and is a card game with many variants. The goal is to make the best 5-card hand using your own 2 cards and the 5 community cards. Players bet with chips (money). The object of the game is to win the “pot,” or the sum of all bets placed during a particular deal.
To begin the game, each player must buy in with a certain amount of chips. Often, a color chip is used to designate the dealer; this person is responsible for shuffling and dealing the cards to each player. A player can bet by calling, raising, or folding depending on the game’s rules.
Once the cards are dealt, a round of betting begins with the players to the left of the dealer. Some players may place mandatory bets called blinds. These bets help create an incentive for the players to participate in the game.
After the initial round of betting, another 3 cards are dealt simultaneously to the table for all players to share. This is called the flop. Then a final round of betting begins.
Once all players have revealed their cards, the player with the highest hand wins the pot. Depending on the game, a winning hand can consist of any number of cards, but it usually must contain a pair or higher. If there is a tie between two hands, the rank of the next card in each hand determines who wins the pot.