Poker is a card game where players place bets before being dealt cards. A player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. The bet amount varies by game. Before being dealt cards, each player must place a bet (called the ante).

Players place their bets by raising their own or calling the last raiser’s bet. Then, the dealer deals each player two cards face down (hidden from other players). This phase of betting is called pre-flop. Once the pre-flop betting phase is over, three more cards are dealt face up at the center of the table. These are community cards and may be used by everyone to build their own 5-card hands.

After all the cards are dealt, another betting phase begins. The person to the left of the dealer acts first. Players can call, raise or fold.

If there is a tie for the highest hand, it is broken by the rank of the fifth card in the hand. For example, a pair of kings beats a five of clubs.

If there is a tie for second highest, the third highest is considered. If there is a tie for third, fourth or fifth highest, the tied hands split the pot evenly. A high card also breaks ties for pairs with identical ranks. Ties for pairs are decided by the higher ranking of the fourth card in the pair. Ties for the highest pairs are decided by the highest card in each hand.