Almost all forms of poker involve a standard pack of 52 cards, except for games that use a different pack. Some variants include jokers or wild cards.

During play, players select five cards from which to form a hand. These are then dealt to each player one at a time. The highest card of the hand determines the winner. The next highest card, or pair of cards, breaks a tie if the tie is tied by two or more people.

The aim of the game is to make the best hand. To achieve this, a player must bet until all other players have folded. In some cases, the player may need to make a forced bet. This can be a blind bet or an ante bet.

After a player has bet into the pot, the dealer cuts and deals the cards to all remaining players. This is called a showdown. Once the hand has been revealed, the winning player takes the pot. The winner will be the player with the best hand.

The cards are then dealt clockwise around the table. The person to the left of the dealer button, who has posted the small blind, is the first to act. The player to the right of the dealer button is the last to act.

The dealer button is a plastic disk, usually white. It indicates the nominal dealer. The dealer button moves a spot clockwise after each hand. This determines which player is the starting position.