Poker is a card game in which players bet money and hope their hand will improve. After a certain number of betting rounds, players reveal their cards face-up. This is called a showdown. Poker hands reach showdown if there are any callers during the last betting round, or if someone all-ins before the final betting round. If someone all-ins, there is usually another side pot created out of the money bet by the remaining players. The winner is the player who gets the highest-ranked hand, plus the money they contributed.

The player in the first-to-act position sits to the left of the big blind and the button. In subsequent betting rounds, they have to match the open bet or raise in order to remain in the hand. If they are unable to do so, they must fold their hand. A player can only call a hand if they have better odds.

Before the first hand begins, the players must ante (bet a certain amount). The amount that is anted will depend on the type of poker that they’re playing. After that, players make bets into the middle pot. The hand with the best total wins the pot. The betting process in poker is clockwise and the winner is determined by a high hand.

The highest hand is known as a pair. This hand consists of two cards of the same rank, plus a fifth card of another rank. A two-pair hand is called two-pair, and a third-pair hand is called one-pair.