Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been playing for years, there are a few basic rules of poker you should know. Poker is a game of chance and skill. You should treat your opponents with respect, but don’t make fun of them.

The first step in playing poker is deciding how to deal the cards. The dealer is the person who cuts the deck and passes out the cards one by one. There are many different ways to deal the cards. The standard deck has 52 cards, but some variants use multiple packs of cards or wild cards.

When the cards have been dealt, players must reveal their hands. Often, the player who has the highest hand wins. However, if several people are tied for the highest hand, a high card breaks the tie.

The first round of betting starts with the person to the left of the dealer button. This person must post a small blind. Once the small blind is posted, the next player to the left of the dealer button posts a big blind.

The dealer then deals the cards clockwise around the table. When the first player to the left of the dealer button has folded, the dealer moves one position clockwise.

If a hand has more than two cards of the same rank, it’s called a straight. A straight may have a high or low ace. A flush is a hand with five cards of the same suit.