Poker is a game of chance and skill. It requires reading your opponents and predicting the odds. The goal is to create the best hand you can.

In poker, the player with the highest hand wins the pot. Each hand has five cards, ranked from Ace high. Whenever you have a pair of cards that are the same, your pair is considered a ‘high card’ and breaks a tie.

Aside from the main pot, you can also bet in a side pot. This is a separate pot created by additional money bet by the remaining players.

To make a bet, you need to choose the amount you want to place in the pot. If you are bluffing, you can only place a small amount of money into the pot. You can also choose to bet the same amount as your opponent.

The first round of betting begins with the player to the left of the button. He or she posts the big blind and small blind.

After the draw phase, the players reveal their cards. At this point, they can choose to raise, call, or fold.

The third and final betting round starts with the player with the best face-up cards. The players bet in clockwise order.

After the last round of betting, the player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. The winner collects all the chips in the pot.

Once the cards are discarded, another betting round begins with the player who had the highest face-up card. This is called the showdown.