The pot is the pool of money or chips in the middle of a poker table that players compete for in a single hand. Every ante, blind, bet, call and raise is added to it, and the player with the best hand at showdown, or the last one left after everyone else folds, collects it. A new pot is built from scratch on every deal.
Pots are not always won by a single player. Equal hands split the pot, Hi/Lo games divide it between the best high hand and the best qualifying low, and a player who is all-in can only win the main pot while further bets go into a side pot. For operators, the pot is also where peer-to-peer poker earns its revenue, because the house usually takes a rake from each pot rather than playing against its customers.