Poker is a card game in which players make bets to try and win the pot. It is played with any number of players, but the optimal number is six to eight. The object of poker is to have the best poker hand at the end of the game. The player with the highest hand wins the pot. Alternatively, a player may win the pot by placing a bet that no other player calls.

The game begins by dealing a pack of cards to each player. Then, each player deals a hand in rotation, beginning with the player to their left. The player who has the highest hand at the end of the rotation is known as the dealer. After that, the turn to deal and to bet passes from player to player. Players may shuffle the cards for each deal. However, the dealer has the last right to shuffle the cards. To make a cut, the dealer must offer a shuffled pack to their opponent’s right.

A hand with five cards of the same rank is known as a “high card.” In addition, a pair of aces, or two of the same rank, is a “six of a kind” in poker. This is the best hand to beat in a game of poker, and it is also the highest possible hand in some variants.