Poker is a card game in which players compete to get the highest hand. The rules vary from game to game, but the fundamentals remain the same. Each hand begins with an ante, or buy-in, which is usually a small bet of $1 to $5. The dealer then deals two cards to each player, who then decides whether to bet or fold. If they choose to bet, players can also check, raise, or match the bets of their opponents.
A game of Poker is played between five and seven players. The goal of the game is to have the highest hand out of the five cards in front of you. If you have a high hand, you win. In the case of a draw, the pot is split among the remaining players. A high-value hand, or a straight flush, starts with the highest card.
A player can also establish a kitty, or fund, to pay for new decks of cards or food. This fund is shared among all players equally and is used to purchase new cards and other game-related supplies. If a player leaves Poker before the game ends, his or her kitty chips are not awarded.
A game of poker is played with a standard 52-card pack, although jokers are sometimes used. Although poker is a one-pack game, two packs are used to speed up the game. The first dealer deals from one pack while the other is being shuffled. The second dealer takes the cards that were dealt to the previous dealer, who then shuffles the remaining cards in the deck.