Poker is a card game in which players wager money against each other based on the strength of their hands. There are many different forms of poker, but most share the same general rules. The objective of the game is to win the pot, which is the sum of all the bets made during a particular hand. Pots can be won by having the highest-ranking hand or by bluffing other players into folding their hands.
In most poker games, players place an initial forced bet before the cards are dealt, known as the ante or blind bet. Once this is done, the dealer shuffles the deck and the player clockwise from them cuts it. The dealer then deals each player two cards face down and one card face up, followed by a series of betting intervals.
To increase your bet, say “raise.” This indicates that you want to add more money to the pot than the person to your left. If you raise, other players must either call your new bet or fold.
In most cases, only the best five-card poker hand wins. The best possible hand is a royal flush, which includes a 10 through an Ace of the same suit. The second-best hand is a straight, which is a sequential run of cards. Other high-value poker hands include a pair, three of a kind, four of a kind and straight flush. There are also several other less-common poker hands, such as a full house and two pair.