Poker is a card game that is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. Some variants of poker use more than one deck, while others add a number of cards called jokers.

The rules of poker vary from game to game, but generally each player is dealt five cards. During the course of the game, a player may decide to discard some or all of these cards. The player with the best poker hand wins the pot.

To begin the game, each player “buys in” by putting a specified amount of chips into the pot. During the course of the game, players must bet, raise or fold.

When a player folds, it means that he does not owe any money to the pot. If a player raises, he can put up as much or as little as the other players in the game.

In some games, a player may be required to put in a small amount of money before the cards are dealt; these are called antes. In these cases, the two players to the left of the dealer are known as the small blind and the big blind.

After the initial deal, each player is allowed to make an ante bet, and each player’s hand develops in some way as the betting rounds continue. In most cases, these bets are a fraction of the minimum amount of money that is required to enter the pot.

Once all the betting rounds are completed, a final round is held. This final round is called the showdown, and the player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot.