Official poker is a card game in which players compete for an amount of money or chips contributed by the other players (called the pot). The rules of various poker variants determine how the hand is won. Individuals can win the pot by making a high-ranking hand, or by betting aggressively. A player may also choose to fold if their hand is unfavorable.
Poker can be played in a variety of ways, but most forms are characterized by the basic mechanic of betting rounds in a single round with raising and re-raising allowed. Some poker games have additional rule sets, such as the use of wild cards or a fixed number of total cards.
In most cases, the dealer is responsible for dealing the cards to the players, managing the pot, and distributing any side pots created by other players. They must also ensure that each player has the proper number of cards to make their hand. In addition, any players who verbally declare that they are going to take a particular action are legally held to that decision.
Depending on the casino or cardroom, the poker dealer may be responsible for collecting and distributing tips that are given to them by the players at the table. These tips are typically in the range of $1 to $5 per hand and can be used as a reward for doing a good job dealing each hand. In some cases, the poker dealer will keep these tips themselves, while in other cases the casino or cardroom will distribute them evenly among the dealers.