In a game of poker, players are dealt five cards. The player with the highest card in a player’s hand, called the high hand, wins the pot. Other players can choose to keep their cards or to discard them. A player with a pair of Jacks or better wins the pot if they have the highest card in a player’s hand.

There are many variations of the game, but the basic rules are the same. The first step is to place an ante, or initial bet, to get started in the game. Depending on the game, this bet can be as low as a dollar, and as high as $5. Players bet in clockwise fashion, and each player has three options in each hand: fold, raise, or check.

The limit on the amount of chips a player can bet is also a factor in poker. Most limit games use a small amount in the early rounds, which increases to a larger amount in later rounds. The betting limit “caps” after three raises, meaning that subsequent players cannot raise more than three times. To stay in the game, a player must match the current open bet or raise or lose his or her chance to win the hand.

In addition to this, poker players can establish a special fund called the kitty. This fund is created by cutting a low-denomination chip from pots in which more than one player has raised. The kitty is divided evenly between all players and is used to buy new decks of cards or to buy food. The kitty chips are usually divided among players who are still playing the game of Poker.