Poker is a card game that’s played with a variety of different types of players. A common misconception is that poker is only a casino game, but it can also be played in your home or in a poker club. It can be played with as few as two or as many as six or eight players.

The rules of the game depend on the variant. However, in most versions of poker, the player is required to place a pre-hand bet. If the bet is called by another player, the player who placed the original bet is said to be “active”.

Aside from a pre-hand bet, there are several other ways a player can put money in the pot. These include forced bets and blind bets. Typically, the maximum amount that a player can bet or raise is capped.

In some versions of poker, players may also bluff by making a bet that they have a better hand than the other players. They can win the pot if they bluff correctly.

The highest hand that can be achieved in a game of poker is the Royal Flush, which is a five-card hand comprising a pair of aces, a queen, a king, and a ten. Other hands can include a straight, a flush, and a straight flush.

After the first round of betting, the players are dealt a second round of cards. This is known as the betting interval. Once the second round is completed, the dealer shuffles the cards.