The game of poker is a community card game that can be played with two or more players. The object is to make the best hand possible using your own cards and the community cards that are dealt. Poker can be played for money, prizes or just fun. It can be played in casual kitchen table games for pennies or in the world’s most famous casinos for thousands of dollars. The game has a wide variety of rules and can be played with different decks of cards.

In most cases, the standard 52-card pack is used. Jokers are also commonly added to the pack as wild cards. Depending on the game, cards are passed out in sets or to create a community card pile. A round of betting then occurs, and players can fold, check or call. The highest hand wins. Some games allow for a draw to improve a low hand.

One player is designated as the banker, who keeps track of how many chips each player has and records how much credit or cash they paid for their chips. The banker should not allow players to exchange chips privately or to buy in with less than the full amount. Similarly, players should not take the banker’s personal chips.

The first player to act is determined by a token called the dealer button (or buck). The person to the left of the button acts first, and can fold, check or raise his own bet. The button then rotates to the next player. The process continues until all of the players have had a chance to act.