Poker is a casino game in which players compete against each other to win chips. The game consists of betting in multiple rounds until a winner is decided. Players begin the game by betting a small amount of money called the ante, which varies depending on the type of game. After betting, players show their cards, with the winner of the hand being the one with the highest hand. While there are many different variations of the game, there are four basic types.

During a typical game of poker, one player shuffles the cards and deals them to the players. Then, players take turns betting and dealing. The dealer is identified by the button, which is usually a plastic disk that is passed from player to player after each deal. The dealer is the last person to shuffle the cards.

A player can make four of a kind when they have two cards of the same rank. In a tie, the higher of the two pairs wins. A higher card wins when two players have two four of a kind and a high card outside of the four of a kind breaks the tie. Similarly, a hand with all four of a kind is called a flush.

The maximum bet or raise in a pot-limit contest is usually the same as the total number of chips in the pot. Players who raise will have to put in the chips needed to call the previous bet.