Poker is a card game that can be played in many variations. The basic rule of the game is to create the best hand out of your five cards and the cards on the table. The winner takes the pot.

A poker game consists of several betting intervals, with the first player to make a bet putting in an initial contribution called an “ante.” Players then place chips (representing money) into the pot according to the rules of the specific variant being played.

The best hand wins the pot. There are various hand rankings, but the most common ones include high card, one pair, two pairs, and straight.

There are also some variations in the ranking of hands, including games where the highest and lowest hands divide the pot.

Almost every variation of the game has a set of rules, although the most important are those that deal with how the cards are dealt. For instance, in most games the dealer deals the cards in rotation among all players.

Some variants require that a player must make an initial bet, called a “preflop” bet, before receiving any cards. Then the player must place additional bets according to the rules of the game.

There are also rules about how much the player can raise or call. In most cases, bets and raises are limited by the size of the pot. If a player calls all of the bets, they win the entire pot without having to reveal their hand. If no player calls, the round ends and a showdown is held.