Poker is a card game in which players wager money against one another. It is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, although some games add jokers or other wild cards. Each player makes bets based on the strength of their cards, and the winning hand is revealed after all betting has finished. The player with the best poker hand wins the pot and any bets that were placed during the round.
The rules of poker are highly complex, and vary significantly from one variant to the next. The game is primarily a game of chance, but skill can substantially reduce the variance of luck. For example, bluffing is a common strategy, and the ability to fold when your hand is not good enough to call bets is critical to success.
A player must place bets into the pot to remain in the game; these bets are commonly made with chips that represent money. Each player must also raise his or her own bet if at least two other players call it. The amount of money raised in a single round is called the pot size.
At the beginning of each round, a fixed number of chips—often represented by a white disk with a hole in it—are put into the pot by all players. These bets are known as forced bets. The dealer then shuffles the cards and deals them to each player, one at a time. A token called the button is rotated among players to indicate a nominal dealer and determine the order of betting.
After the forced bets are made, a flop is dealt, followed by a turn and river. Each subsequent bet is made by the player to the left of the button. Players can call, check, raise or fold during each betting interval.
In some cases, the cards are turned face up after the final round of betting. The best five-card poker hand wins the pot, which consists of all the bets made during the round. A player may win multiple rounds in a row by having the best hand.
A four of a kind is a poker hand consisting of four cards of the same rank, such as four jacks. A pair is a poker hand consisting of two matching cards, such as J-8-5-3-2 or 2-7-6-1-4. A flush is a poker hand with all five cards of the same suit.
General Rule: When hands tie on the rank of a pair, three of a kind, or four of a kind, the highest card outside the hand breaks the tie. A straight is a poker hand completed from two cards on the inside (called the “inside”), or by one card on the turn and river (called the “outside”).
There are countless variations of poker, but most have similar features. A standard deck of 52 cards is used, and each hand has five cards. Some variations of poker have different rules for how the cards are ranked and for which combinations of cards are considered to be the best.