Poker is a game of cards in which the player with the highest hand at the end of a round wins. The winning player gets all the money in the pot. Each player’s hand can be a single, two-card combination or a higher combination, depending on the poker variant. The game is played in rounds, and the final betting phase occurs between players’ newly dealt cards.

The best hand in the game is a straight flush, which consists of five cards of the same suit. The ace of the flush can be either high or low. If more than one person has the same hand, the higher card wins the pot. The highest pair in a straight flush is known as a Royal Flush.

In a game of poker, a player is dealt a hand by the house dealer. In casual play, the right to deal a poker hand rotates among the players. The dealer button, which is usually a white plastic disk, designates the nominal dealer. The dealer button also determines betting order. Usually, cards are dealt clockwise around the poker table.

There are several theories on the origin of poker. Some say it originated in Persia while others attribute it to Europe. But in reality, the game probably originated in a 17th century French game called poque, which was influenced by the German game pochen. It was later adapted to the New World by French settlers.