Whether you are playing online or in a real poker room, the basic rules of the game are the same. In the beginning, the dealer passes out a number of cards to each player, one at a time.

Players may bluff, bet their best hand or pass on the chance to bet. The goal is to have the best hand at the end of the hand. When two players have identical poker hands, the best unmatched card breaks the tie.

Poker is a card game, usually played with a standard deck of 52 cards. There are four suits: clubs, hearts, spades, and diamonds. A straight flush is a hand of five cards in the same suit. The straight flush starts with the highest value card. Aces can be high or low, but in some games the ace may be treated as the lowest card.

The first round of betting begins with the player who has the first bet. The dealer then shuffles the cards. He may then pass them out one at a time, or create a community card pile. The dealer may also shuffle all of the cards at once.

Next, a player bets into the pot, which is in the center of the table. The pot is a sum of all the bets made by the players during the deal. The player who wins takes all of the bets and the pot. Alternatively, the winning player may bluff, bet his or her best hand or pass on the chance to bet.