The game of poker consists of betting in rounds, and players may either fold or raise their hand. When the player has a winning hand, they collect the pot. If more than one player remains in contention after all betting rounds, the final hand is known as a “showdown,” where the hands of the remaining players are revealed.
Each round of poker begins with the first player making a bet. The first bet of each player is called the “bet,” and the player who matches it is called a call. Then, the player who bets more than the previous bettor makes a “raise.” A player who checks does not place a bet.
In some games, the lowest possible hand is a pair of aces. In these cases, a player with five of a kinds is a “flush”. The higher card in a five-of-a-kind hand wins. In some other games, an ace is treated as a low card.
Poker is played with a group of players sitting around a large round table. A dealer is assigned for each round and is responsible for shuffling and dealing cards to the players. The dealer can be a player or a non-player. Dealers rotate each round, but most often, a player is chosen to be a dealer for the whole game. The dealer chips are passed from player to player and are important for certain betting rules.