Poker is a game of chance played by a group of people around a table. The objective is to make the highest hand possible. Players place bets into a pot until the end of the round. A player with the highest hand wins the pot.

There are several variations of the game. Some of them are Hold’em, Three-Card Monte, and Spit-in-the-Ocean.

First, the dealer cuts a deck of cards and hands them to the players one at a time. Each player may shuffle or discard the cards.

Then, the first player bets into the pot. This is called a “bet.” Depending on the game, the player may also be required to put in an ante.

When a player bets, the other players must match the bet, or fold. If they do not, they are said to check.

If all but one of the players fold, the remaining player collects the pot. He or she may then choose to stay in and continue betting, or may drop out of the pot.

During the showdown, the hand that matches the previous bet is called a “call.” For example, if Charley checks and Dennis raises, Charley is a caller. However, if Dennis is a caller and Charley does not owe anything to the pot, he is a “drop.”

During the showdown, the player with the best hand is declared the winner. A player’s winning hand can be either a natural, or a bluff.