Poker is a card game where players compete to win the pot by holding the best hand. Each player starts the game by making a forced bet, which is called the ante or blind bet. The dealer then shuffles and cuts the deck of cards. The cards are then dealt one at a time to each player. They may be dealt face-up or face-down. In each betting round, a player must make his or her initial bet, raise it or fold.

Almost all poker games use poker chips. The lowest value chip is the white chip, while the highest-value chips are red and blue. Each of these chips has its own value. The dealer should have plenty of chips for all the players. Depending on the game, a blue chip is worth only one white and a red chip is worth ten or twenty or 25 whites.

After each betting round, the player in the “first-to-act” position will usually sit on the left of the button or the big blind. This position is also important in later betting rounds, since it determines whether or not a player may raise or fold. As a result, the first-to-act player is considered to have the best hand.

Depending on the number of players, poker can have up to eight players. The optimal number of players is six or eight. Each player will be dealt seven cards, and the highest hand will win the pot. The high-card will break ties if no-one has a pair of cards.