Poker is a card game that requires skill and strategy to win. It can be played with two or more players, and the stakes can be high or low. The goal of the game is to have a good five-card hand at the end of a betting round. The dealer shuffles the cards and then deals them to each player one at a time, beginning with the person to their left. This player can cut the deck if they want to, but if they do they must leave at least five cards.
Then the betting phase starts and each player can decide whether to call a bet or raise it. A raise often forces weaker hands to fold and can increase the value of the pot, so it’s important to have a strong enough hand to do this. Then players reveal their hands and the winner of the pot is declared.
Depending on the game, there can also be additional rounds with different stakes. However, the player who wins all the chips at the table is the overall winner of the game. In most cases, players agree on the terms before the game starts for how this money will be distributed. Usually, this means the winner will receive all of the money at the table, but there can be rules in place to share the money equally amongst the other players if there is a tie. This makes the game fair for everyone.