Poker is a card game in which players try to make the best hand from a combination of their own cards and those of the other players. The game has a wide range of variations, with different rules for each variant.

Depending on the type of poker being played, players may be required to place forced bets, such as an ante or a blind bet. These bets can be folded, checked or raised if the player is called by another player.

In a standard game, the first dealer is chosen by the person with the button or token (the dealer). The player clockwise to the left of the dealer shuffles and deals the pack of cards to each player, one at a time face up.

A betting round then follows, with each player being given a chance to see his cards and bet accordingly. In some games, such as five-card draw, the player’s hand is not revealed until the last betting round has been completed.

The player with the highest-ranking poker hand wins the pot, which is the total of all bets made in a round. If no player has the highest-ranking poker hand, the pot is divided among all players who have made a bet.

The earliest known form of poker was played with a 20-card deck, but today, the game is commonly played with a 52-card deck. The game spread from Europe to Asia, and later to the United States, where it gained popularity with the military.