Poker is a card game where players bet in rounds with each other. The object is to win a pot, which is the sum of all bets placed in a single round, by having a better poker hand than another player. Players may also bluff, in which case they make bets that other players do not call.
Poker can be played with any number of players, but most games have between 6 and 14 players. A game is usually played with one dealer, whose position is indicated by a token called a button (or buck). The dealer deals the cards and collects bets from the players in turn.
Each player must place an amount of chips into the pot equal to or greater than the bet made by the player to his left in turn. This is known as the forced bet. Players may raise their bets, and sometimes even fold their hands, in response to the action of other players.
Once the players have received their two hole cards, the first of several betting intervals begins. Depending on the variant of poker being played, the dealer may shuffle the cards before dealing them to the players, or he may offer the shuffled cards to the player to his right for a cut.
A poker hand consists of five cards of consecutive rank or sequence, and the highest poker hand wins. If more than one hand has five of a kind, the higher card wins (five kings beats five queens, for example). The highest poker hand can be won with a pair as well.