Poker is a card game played worldwide. There are many variants, but there are some common rules. A poker deck is typically used, but some games use short packs. It also uses a dealer button, a white plastic disk. The dealer button indicates the nominal dealer.

Most modern poker games are more complex than the simplest. In addition to the usual betting rounds, players are also required to make forced bets. These can be blind bets or ante bets.

To play a hand in poker, you are usually dealt four cards, which you can discard. However, in some variations, such as Omaha, you are given five cards, which you must use to form your hand.

One of the most interesting features of poker is bluffing. This means that you are not betting with real money, but instead, you are trying to convince other players that you have the best hand.

The best hand is usually a combination of a high card, a low card, and two pocket cards. If you manage to do this, you are likely to be in the lead. Occasionally, the winning hand is a straight.

Some variants do not consider flushes, but they still require the straight to be the best hand possible. They also usually award a pot to the highest hand.

Another feature of poker is the flop. It is a round in which the cards are dealt clockwise around the table. Once all the cards are flipped over, another betting round begins.