Poker is a card game that requires skill and strategy to win. There are many different variants of the game, but they all have some similarities. For instance, they all use cards and chips to bet on the outcome of the hand. The aim of the game is to have the best five-card hand at the end of the round.

There are also rules for how the money in the pot is shared once the game ends. This can be negotiated before the game starts. In some cases, players will agree to share some of the money in the pot even if they don’t win the final pot. This helps ensure that players will not lose all their money and can still be paid some amount for their efforts at the table.

Some games require a mandatory bet called a blind that all players must make before they are dealt cards. This is done in order to create an incentive for players to play and gives the game a sense of fairness.

Once each player has 2 cards in their hand, a 3rd card is dealt (called the flop). There is another round of betting that happens before a showdown.

After the betting round is complete, the players will reveal their hands and whoever has the best hand takes the pot. There are often special rules for how this process works depending on the game. It is important for players to understand the rules of the game well so that they can make informed decisions.