Poker is a card game in which players bet into a central pot containing all the chips they have. The player with the best hand wins the pot, although some games allow for a tie.

Usually, players begin the game by making forced bets called antes or blinds. These bets are required before the cards are dealt, but they are rotated around the table each round so that everyone has a chance to make them.

The dealer shuffles the cards and deals them to the players one at a time, beginning with the player on the left of the dealer. In some variations, a non-player is designated as the dealer.

Cards are dealt face up, one at a time. The dealer then deals each player one card, which is referred to as the “flop.”

A complete hand of five cards is required. The value of the hand is inversely proportional to its frequency; that is, the more unusual the combination of cards, the higher the hand ranks.

Some variants of poker online also include betting rounds, where players may bet on their hands. The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the dealer, who is known as the “small blind.”

After the small blind acts, the big blind (or the player on the other side of the dealer) must act, and so on. Each round of betting continues clockwise around the table.