In poker, each round of the game has a dealer, who shuffles the deck and deals cards to the players. The dealer may be a player or a non-player. A dealer is given the opportunity to shuffle the deck and the players take turns being the dealer. The dealer is designated by a dealer chip, which is passed on to the next active player after each round. The location of the dealer determines certain betting rules.
A game of poker can be played with any number of players, although the optimal number is six to eight people. The total amount of money bet by each player is called the pot, which is won by the player with the highest ranking poker hand. If no player calls the player who made the first bet, he wins the pot. This game of chance is the easiest to play. However, there are a number of different types of poker games.
When a hand is made of four or more cards, the highest card wins. The lowest hand, called a flush, is a pair of two cards with the same suit. If more than one player has two pairs, the higher pair wins. Similarly, a five-card straight is the best hand; it beats the straight flush. In addition, wild cards make possible the formation of five-of-a-kind, which is the highest hand.