Poker is a card game played by two or more people. Players place a bet (the amount varies by game) and are then dealt cards. They compete to make the best 5-card hand and win the pot, or the sum of all bets placed for that round. Players can call, raise or fold.
Typically, each player begins the betting interval, or “round,” by putting one or more chips into the pot. The player to the left may then either call the bet by putting in the same number of chips, or raise it. A player who cannot match the last raise must drop out of the current hand.
Some games involve a dealer who is responsible for shuffling and dealing the cards. Other games allow players to take turns being the dealer. In any case, the dealer must pass a special chip to the player to his or her right after each round of betting.
Some poker games use a kitty, or pot, to pay for new decks of cards or food and drinks. Players usually contribute a low-denomination chip to the kitty for every raise they make, and any chips in the pot when the game ends are split evenly among the players still playing. Players may also create a kitty by agreeing to share any profits they might make during the game. This type of kitty is commonly used in high-stakes poker games. Also, by common agreement, the players can establish rules about the kitty, such as whether or not it should be shared when a player leaves the table before the game ends.