Basically, poker is a gambling game where players place bets on the value of their hand. The goal of poker is to win the pot. The pot is the aggregate of all bets made by all players in one deal. Generally, the highest-ranking hand is the winner.

The first player to act in a hand starts the game. Usually, this player sits immediately to the left of the big blind. In some games, a dedicated dealer button indicates this starting position. The dealer button moves one spot clockwise after each hand.

In some poker variants, there are betting intervals. These intervals occur between the flop, turn and river. In a pot-limit game, bets may be restricted to a fixed amount. For example, a player can’t bet more than $10 in the first hand.

A good poker hand includes a combination of cards of different suits. For example, a flush is made from five cards of the same suit. Similarly, a full house is made up of two cards of one suit and two cards of another.

The best hand of all is the Royal Flush. In some poker variants, this is the only hand that qualifies. Despite this, it isn’t actually the best hand.

A “backdoor flush” is achieved by hitting certain cards on the turn and river. Other special hands include three of a kind and four of a kind. In a game with a small number of players, these hands often don’t get to show off.