Poker is a card game played by a group of players around a table. It’s played with a 52-card deck that’s been shuffled. The dealer then cuts the deck and passes out one card at a time to each player.

The highest hand is a “straight”, or five cards, with no more than two suits. The lowest possible hand is 7-5-4-3-2 in two or more suits. There are also wild cards that make a five of a kind.

Players who bet more than the previous bettor are called to “raise” their bets. They must do so before the first betting interval has passed. If no bets have been made, the player who checks is said to stay in the hand.

The pot is the total amount of money that’s bet by each player. A player may win the pot if he bets more than the last bettor did. He can also win if he bet less than the last bettor did.

In typical poker games, the pot is awarded to the highest hand. Occasionally, the pot is divided among several different hands. Another variation is called “side pots”, which are created by an additional money bet by remaining players.

Some games have a betting interval, which occurs after each round of dealing. The interval ends when the last player raises or checks. Typically, the first player to act is the player to the left of the big blind.

Poker is played with a group of people around a circular table. Players place bets into the pot in a series of rounds, which develop between them.