Poker is a card game played by two or more players. It is typically played with a 52-card deck and poker chips. The player who makes the best hand wins all the chips in the pot. To play, each player must place a bet. Some bets can be made with coins or plastic chips.

Cards are usually dealt clockwise around the table. During the first betting round, each player can choose to fold, call, raise, or re-raise. Those who choose to re-raise must match the amount of the last bet. If there is no matching bet, the next player can re-raise, but may lose his or her bet.

Before the deal, each player must make an ante bet. This is a small bet that all players must make. Depending on the game, the ante will either be paid to the pot or refunded back to the players.

The cards are then dealt to each player one at a time. The dealer (also called a buck) is a white plastic disk. The dealer has the last right to shuffle the cards.

After the cards have been shuffled, a second round of betting is initiated. After this, each player must show their cards. A card that is higher than the highest card of the other players is considered to be a high card. Similarly, a card that is lower than the ace is considered to be a low card. When no hand can be made, the second card of highest rank is considered to be the highest card.