Poker is a gambling game played by a group of people around a circular table. The object of the game is to create the best hand possible.

Poker involves two rounds of betting. The first round consists of antes and blinds. The ante is the “buy in bet” that players must make before they can play. This is typically one dollar or five dollars.

A new round begins when the dealer deals the cards to each player. The cards are face up, with the first player receiving the jack. The cards are then dealt clockwise to the remaining players.

The highest hand wins the pot. The pot is a composite of all bets made by all players during the game. The smallest bet is the ante.

When the ante is raised or lowered, it’s referred to as the raise or the fold. The raise is an effort to increase the size of the pot. The fold is an attempt to decrease the size of the pot.

There are many variations of the game. The game is played with a deck of 52 cards. The deck is divided into four suits. Each suit has four cards in the deck. There are also two aces. Depending on the game, the aces may be treated as the lowest card.

The high card is used to break ties. This is especially helpful when there is a high hand with a same type.

A straight is a five card hand in sequential order. A flush is a set of five cards of the same suit.