The game of poker can be played with as few as two players or as many as eight. The aim of the game is to create the best possible hand of cards and win. To win, players must make bets until the rest of the players drop out. The player with the highest hand is the winner of the hand and receives all of the money bet in that hand. In the event of a tie, the pot is split among the remaining players.
Each player in the game places a bet at a predetermined interval. The first bet is made by one player, usually the player who put in the most money in the pot. Every player then must place a bet equal to the amount of chips that was put in the pot by the player before him. This player is known as the active player. In addition to betting, a player may call, check, or fold. A player who folds will lose all his or her money in the game.
In poker, betting is done through forced bets called ante and blind bets. Once each player has placed their bets, the dealer then shuffles and cuts the deck of cards and deals the cards to the players. These cards may be dealt face up or face down depending on the poker variant. During the betting intervals, the players develop their poker hands. If they have any pairs, the higher limit applies to them.