Poker is a card game that involves skill, strategy, and a lot of chance. Players place bets using chips on the outcome of a hand that is dealt randomly to each player. Various combinations of cards can win the pot, including a royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, three of a kind, and two pair.
A dealer is responsible for shuffleing the deck and dealing out the cards to the players. In some variants, the dealer is a separate person, while in others, all the players take turns being the dealer. A dealer chip is used to mark who is the dealer for each round, and certain betting rules depend on where the dealer is sitting at the table.
Before dealing, each player must make a forced bet, called an ante or blind bet (sometimes both). Then the cards are dealt, either face up or face down depending on the variant. The first of several betting rounds then begins. During the betting rounds, each player may raise, call, or check.
The winner of each round is the player with the best five-card hand. Ties are broken by the highest unmatched cards or secondary pairs (such as a full house in a four of a kind). The game ends when a single player has won all the money that was put down as buy-in at the start of the round. In some cases, players will win side pots as well.