Poker is a card game of chance that has become one of the most popular games in the world. It has a very simple concept: use the cards you are dealt to make the best five-card hand possible. While there are a variety of different poker variants, all share certain features.

Players begin by placing a bet into the pot (which represents money) before they are dealt cards. A player may raise or call the bet. In most cases, the highest hand wins the pot. However, players can also choose to fold.

Once the betting has finished, each player will reveal their cards. This step is known as the showdown. If you have the best five-card poker hand, you win!

The poker deck consists of 52 cards. The cards are ranked in order of their value: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2. There are four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs) but no suit is higher than another. Some poker games include jokers which are wild cards that can take on whatever rank or suit their possessor desires.

After the showdown, the winner will be awarded all of the chips in the pot. However, many poker games have rules in place for how the winners will share this money. This helps keep the game fair and ensures that no player is ever left with nothing. This is a very important aspect of the game and is something that should be discussed in-depth before the game begins.