Poker is a card game where players compete to form the best five-card hand. The best hand wins the pot, or the amount of money that players bet into the pot. Players reveal their hands in turn, and betting continues until only one player has not folded. This process is known as the showdown. The remaining player then collects the pot of money.

The earliest contemporary references to poker date to the late 18th century, and the game grew in popularity during the 19th. However, it likely has roots in earlier vying games of cards. Early ancestor hands include Belle, Flux and Trente-un (French, 17th – 18th centuries), Post and Pair (English and American, late 18th – 19th centuries) and Brag (18th century).

To start a new hand, the dealer shuffles the cards, then the player on the chair to his or her right cuts. The dealer then deals each player two cards, face-down, or face-up depending on the variant of Poker being played. Then the first of many betting rounds begins.

During each round, players can choose to raise or check their bets. If they raise, the other players can either call their bet or fold. If they check, they pass the opportunity to bet and give up their chance of winning that round’s prize money. This is why it’s important to learn how to read your opponents and make smart bets. It also helps to avoid going on tilt, which is a state of emotional frustration that can lead to poor decisions.