Poker is a card game that involves betting and risk-taking. It is also a game of strategy, with the higher skill players winning more often over the long run. Although poker contains elements of chance and gambling, there is a considerable amount of mathematical observation and probability analysis that can be applied to improve the chances of a player’s winning hand.

A dealer is responsible for shuffling the deck and dealing each player a set of cards. Typically, one of the players is assigned this role and has a chip that is passed to a new player after each round of betting. Sometimes, a non-player is designated as the dealer.

The first phase of a hand starts with each player placing an ante. Once this happens, the players are dealt two cards each, face down and hidden from other players (called their hole or pocket). After the pre-flop betting phase, 3 additional cards are dealt to the center of the table, which are revealed to all players and can be used by each player to build their best 5-card hand.

After the flop, a betting round begins with the player to the left of the button. Each player can choose to call (match the current bet), raise or fold. A player that chooses to raise must match the total stake raised by the last active player, and may continue raising or folding if they wish. A player that folds forfeits their bet and is no longer involved in the hand.