The game of poker is a gambling game where players share chips that they have won or lost. In each round, a dealer shuffles the deck and deals out the cards to players. The dealer can be a player or a non-player. In both cases, the player who has won the most chips wins the pot. Betting in poker takes place clockwise. Depending on the situation, a player can choose to fold or raise his initial bet.

The aim of the game is to be the first player to make the highest ranking hand. In theoretical poker, stakes can be doubled after each raise. However, this can be dangerous for the player, as doubling stakes too many times may cause the player to fold for lack of funds. This is why historical poker house rules limit the amount of stakes a player can raise, usually to the previous raise amount.

A player should also take into account the percentage of hands in his range. Several factors affect the percentages in postflop ranges. One of them is position. Depending on your position, you can either raise or fold on the river. If you raise, you’ll want to be sure that you can withstand your opponent’s raise.

Some poker positions require forced bets, such as the small blind or big blind. The small blind is the player on the left of the dealer. The big blind, on the other hand, is the player two positions to the left of the dealer.