Poker is a card game that’s played around the world. It’s fun, exciting and can be a great way to pass the time.

The basic rules of poker are the same across the board, but variations vary from country to country. In most versions of the game, players put in a small bet called an ante before being dealt cards. The dealer then deals two cards to each player and keeps them hidden from the other players.

Everyone then has to decide whether they want to play the current round of betting or not. They can choose to “fold,” which means they don’t want to bet, “check,” which is a match for another player’s bet, or “raise,” which adds more money to the pot.

Once all the players have chosen to bet or fold, the dealer then deals a fourth card with faces up. This card is called the turn and everyone gets a chance to bet/check/raise again. If more than one player remains in the hand after the turn card has been dealt, the dealer will reveal a fifth card that anyone can use to make their hand.

The winner of the hand is determined by who has the highest ranked hand. The hand can be a straight, three of a kind, full house or a flush.