In poker, each player starts with a pack of cards. Then, he or she deals cards in a rotation to the left, until a jack appears. This player is known as the dealer, and the turn to deal and bet passes from player to player. At the start of the game, any player may shuffle the cards before the deal, but the dealer is the last person to do so. If the dealer offers the shuffled pack to the player to the right, the opponent must accept it or else he or she will cut the hand.
In some variations of poker, blind bets are required before a hand is dealt. These can be made in place of the ante or in addition to it. Blind bets are rotated around the table between rounds of the hand, and each player takes turns making them. Players must check the blind bet before they check or raise it.
During each betting interval, the player must bet, with the aim of winning as much as possible while minimizing losses for players with bad hands. However, some rules require that the player must place an ante to the pot, which is equivalent to the total bet of the player before him.