Poker is a card game that can be played with a variety of stakes, from peanuts to matchsticks (although seasoned gamblers will snicker at anything other than serious money). It has the twin elements of chance and skill and can involve quite a bit of psychology.
Many different games of poker have a specific set of rules. However, all games have some common features. For example, all players must put up a sum of money called the pot before being dealt any cards. The player with the highest hand after all betting is done wins the pot. If nobody has a high enough hand, the pot is shared among players with lower hands.
There are many variants of poker, but most involve two or more players and a fixed number of cards. The cards may be dealt face up or face down, depending on the game. Several rounds of betting are made before the final round, known as the showdown, when the cards are revealed. The player with the best 5-card poker hand wins the pot, which contains all the bets made during that round.
A dealer is assigned for each hand, and the person to their right cuts the cards after they are shuffled. The dealer’s position is marked by a token called the button, which moves to a new player after each round of betting. Sometimes a non-player is given the role of dealer, and this person is indicated by a dealer chip.