Poker is a card game where players bet on the strength of their hands. A hand consists of five cards. The value of a hand is in inverse proportion to its mathematical frequency: a high-frequency hand is worth less than a low-frequency one. Players may also bluff, making false bets that they have a good hand when they don’t. The goal of the game is to win the pot, which is the total amount of bets placed by all players.

The game begins with a single shuffled pack of cards, which is then dealt to each player in rotation, starting with the player on the left. The deal and betting are usually handled by the same person, a non-player dealer or an experienced player called the button. A player on the left has the option of cutting the pack at any time, but the decision must be made before the first player is dealt a card.

After a betting interval, each remaining player shows his or her hand. The best hand wins the pot. If two players have the same hand, the winner is determined by the rank of the highest card.

A poker game can be played for any amount of money, and it is often agreed that the winning player will split the pot equally with the other players. This agreement can be made before the game starts, or it can be an implicit part of the rules of the specific poker variant being played.