Poker is a card game that is played by two or more players. The aim is to win the pot, which consists of the sum of all bets made during one deal. The value of a hand depends on its rank and the number of cards. A high hand is considered to be better than a low one. There are many different variants of poker, but most involve betting and five cards.

In addition to understanding the rules of poker, it is important to spend time observing other players’ behavior. This will allow you to learn the tells of your opponents and capitalize on their mistakes. For example, if an opponent often overthinks and arrives at the wrong conclusions, this can be exploited by raising their bets to make them call you.

During the course of a poker game, players may establish a fund called a kitty. This is usually comprised of low-denomination chips and is used to pay for new decks of cards and food and drinks. At the end of a poker game, any kitty chips that remain are divided equally among players who are still in the game.

Another important aspect of poker is the shuffling and cutting of cards. The person to the right of the dealer cuts the cards after they have been shuffled. This gives that player a significant advantage as they get to act last on the flop, turn and river. This advantage is also known as the button.