Poker is a card game where players make wagers against each other. The best hand wins the pot. In order to win, players must bet correctly, and not overbet.

Players buy the same number of chips. Blue chips are usually worth two or four whites, while dark colored chips are worth two or five reds.

A dealer button is used to signal a nominal dealer. Cards are dealt face up from left to right. After each round of dealing, there is a betting interval. During this time, the players can pass, raise, check, fold or bluff.

If no player calls, the pot will stay on the table for the next hand. An ante is sometimes used as a forced bet. For example, if a player holds two suited jacks, he has an obligation to show one. Similarly, if a player holds two pairs of kings, he has an obligation to show a pair of jacks or better.

There are many variations of poker. Each variant has a unique way of handling the cards. Some games have multiple rounds of betting and a unique way of determining which hand is the best.

Generally, there are three rounds of dealing, each distributing one card to each active player. Another round of betting occurs after the discarding of cards. Finally, there is a final round of betting that ends with a “showdown”. This is when the cards are revealed.

Several poker games are played on a single card, while others require more than one deck of cards. Usually, a 52 card deck is used for Texas Hold’em.