Poker is a card game that involves betting, strategy and psychology. It is often portrayed in movies and on TV, and it has become the national card game of the United States, with its play and jargon permeating American culture. Poker is played by individuals in homes, in clubs, in casinos and over the Internet.

Each player puts in chips to make a bet and then is dealt two cards. Players aim to form the best five-card hand using those cards and the community cards. A player who raises a bet without showing his cards is said to “fold.” When all players show their hands, the player with the highest ranking 5-card hand wins the pot (all the chips that have been raised so far).

Some variations of poker require players to place an ante or blind bet before they are dealt their cards. These bets are not required to be made by all players, but they must be called if a player raises.

After the final betting round, all remaining players reveal their hands and the player with the best 5-card hand wins the pot. The winning player usually collects all the money that has been placed into the pot, but a small amount may be shared among the other players with good hands. The pot may also be shared if there is a tie for the highest hand. This can be an incentive for players to continue playing and to invest more of their chips in future rounds.