Poker is a card game in which players try to assemble the best possible hand of cards. The goal is traditionally to win cash or poker chips. The card game is played between two or more players, with a minimum of two and a maximum of 14 (although the rules can vary widely). The right to deal a hand rotates among players and is marked by a token called a dealer button. In casual play, the button is usually a white plastic disk that indicates the player who will be dealing the next hand. In a casino or other organized play, the game is typically dealt by a professional dealer.
Each player is dealt 2 cards (sometimes referred to as your “hole”) and then 5 community cards are dealt. Each player then aims to make the best 5-card poker hand, using their own two cards and the community cards. The player with the highest poker hand wins the pot, which is the sum of all bets made at each betting interval.
Throughout the course of a poker game, a player must often decide whether to call or raise a bet. This decision is based on the probability that they will improve their hand, as well as the amount of money they have invested in the game already. Players may also choose to “drop” their hand, meaning they will not call any further bets and surrender their rights to any winnings in the previous round. A player who drops cannot re-enter the pot until they have sufficient chips to do so.