Poker is a card game in which players try to make the best hand possible from a combination of their private cards and the community cards. The best hand in poker is a royal flush, made up of a 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace, all of the same suit (clubs, diamonds, hearts or spades).

There are many different variants of the game, but most include a deck of 52 cards and a central pot. Each player is dealt a number of cards, one at a time.

The first betting round, called the ante, begins with one or more players putting up a small amount of money to bet into the pot. The rest of the players to the left of the ante player can call or raise this bet, adding their own chips to the pool.

Alternatively, if no player calls or raises, the ante player must “fold.” This means that they will put no money into the pot, discard their cards, and be out of the betting until the next deal.

In addition to the ante and blind bets, there is also a special fund for Poker called the “kitty.” This is usually built up by cutting one low-denomination chip from each pot in which there is more than one raise. When the kitty is depleted, any remaining chips are divided equally among the players who still play in the game.