Poker is a gambling game where players make bets based on the value of the cards they hold. Normally, players place their bets by using poker chips, which are small pieces of plastic or ceramic. Real money can also be used to place bets, but poker chips are easier to manage. Players can exchange their chips for cash if they win and lose, and they can count their chips to determine who is the winner.

Poker can be played with any number of players, though six to eight players is ideal. In poker, the pot is the total of all the bets placed by players in a single deal. Players win the pot if they have the highest-ranking poker hand or make a bet that no other player calls.

Poker betting takes place in a clockwise fashion. A player must first ante an amount, which varies with the game. The next player then bets into the middle pot. Depending on the number of players, the highest hand wins the pot. Players in poker can choose to raise their bets after calling the initial bet, or they can fold their cards.

After the betting phase, players reveal their hands clockwise around the table. The player with the highest hand is the winner of the round. Depending on the variation of the game, players will start revealing their cards in turn clockwise around the table.