There are two operators for pointers: Address-of operator (&): Returns the memory address of its operand. Contents-of (Dereference) operator(*): Returns the value of the variable located at the address specified by its operator.
int var = 20;
int *ptr;
ptr = &var;
cout << var << endl;
//Outputs 20 (The value of var)
cout << ptr << endl;
//Outputs 0x234f119 (var's memory location)
cout << *ptr << endl;
//Outputs 20(The value of the variable stored in the pointer ptr
The asterisk (*) is used in declaring a pointer for simple purpose of indicating that it is a pointer. Don't confuse this with the dereference operator, which is used to obtain the value located at the specified address. They are simply two different things represented with the same sign.