In casual play, the right to deal a hand typically rotates among the players and is marked by a token called a dealer button (or buck). In a casino, a house dealer handles the cards
for each hand, but the button (typically a white plastic disk) is
rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal dealer to
determine the order of betting. The cards are dealt clockwise around the
poker table, one at a time.
One or more players are usually required to make forced bets, usually either an ante or a blind bet (sometimes both). The dealer shuffles the cards, the player on the chair to their right cuts,
and the dealer deals the appropriate number of cards to the players one
at a time, beginning with the player to their left. Cards may be dealt
either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being
played. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting
rounds begins. Between rounds, the players' hands develop in some way,
often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously
dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the central
pot.
At any time during a betting round, if one player bets and no opponents choose to call (match) the bet and all opponents instead fold,
the hand ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are
required to be shown, and the next hand begins. This is what makes bluffing
possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, one that
distinguishes it from other vying games and from other games that make
use of poker hand rankings.
At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there is a showdown,
in which the players reveal their previously hidden cards and evaluate
their hands. The player with the best hand according to the poker
variant being played wins the pot. A poker hand comprises five cards; in
variants where a player has more than five cards, the best five cards
play.
