Poker is a card game that involves betting between two or more players. The goal is to have a higher ranking hand than your opponents or to win the pot, which is the sum of all bets made in a round. A player may also bet by raising or checking (passing). This is called bluffing. The bluffing is done to scare the opponent into calling your bet.
There are a few different ways to play poker, with the most popular being cash games. These are played with a small group of people around a table, with each person having their own stack of chips. The game is fast paced and players bet continuously until one player has all of the chips or everyone folds.
Before a deal of cards starts, some players are required to make forced bets, known as the ante and blind bets. These are placed into a common pot before any cards are dealt. The dealer then shuffles the cards and offers them to the player to his or her right for a cut.
After the cut, the dealer deals cards to each player in rotation. The first player to his or her left has the option to check, raise, or call. Each player then develops a hand of five cards. If a player has the best five-card hand, they win the pot. Sometimes, there is a tie among players with the highest-ranking hands, and these players split the money in the pot.