Poker is a card game in which players place bets. Usually the initial bet is an ante, or a small amount of money to bet in order to play. A dealer will then shuffle and cut the deck of cards, and deal each player two cards, one face up and one face down. Once the player has two cards, they may decide whether to bet, fold, check, match, or raise.

Often, a player with the best five-card hand wins a round. If the player is the last one left in the game, they may choose to share the pot with the other players. This is called split pot poker, and is the easiest type of poker to learn. If you’ve never played poker before, you may be wondering how it works.

First, you need to know how the blinds and raises work. The small blind is a blind bet of $1, while the big blind is a blind bet of $2. After each player has received two hole cards, the first one to act is the player to his or her left. If a player folds, they’re out of the game.

During the betting phase, players reveal their cards. Their best hand is known as the “nuts.” The best five-card hand is the best one at that moment.