Poker is a card game where players compete to create the best hand using their five cards and the other cards on the table. The game can be played with two to seven players and has a number of variants, including low-limit and high-limit games.

In most games, players start the betting by placing a “blind” bet, called a small blind or big blind, before receiving the first card. These are forced bets that ensure there is a certain amount of action in each hand, which makes the game less boring than it could be without them.

After the initial ‘blind’ bet, players are dealt a set of cards, one face down and three face up, with each player beginning their hand clockwise around the table. The player with the lowest hand starts first, then play proceeds clockwise from there until all players have had a chance to place a bet or fold.

The player with the highest hand wins the pot, which is the aggregate of all bets placed in a single round by all players. This can either be the best hand or the highest amount of money that was in the pot at the beginning of the hand, depending on the rules.

After the initial ‘blind’ bet, all players will reveal their cards. This is an important part of the game, as it reveals which players have the best hands. If the cards are equal, the winners will share their winnings.