The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game in which players compete to win the “pot,” or total of all bets made in a single round. The winner of the pot earns all the money that was put down as buy-in at the table before the game began. There are often rules about how this money is shared among the winners.

The game is played from a standard pack of 52 cards, or sometimes multiple packs and/or jokers. There are four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs) and each suit is ranked high to low. The highest hand is a royal flush, consisting of four matching cards of the same rank in one suit. The next highest is a straight, five consecutive cards of the same rank in another suit. The lowest hand is a pair, two distinct cards of the same rank. The highest card breaks ties.

After each player has received their five cards, the betting begins. A player may choose to raise his bet, or “call.” He can also decide to fold. If he does not have a high enough hand to raise, he must call the amount raised by any player before him or drop out of the game.

Before the cards are dealt, some games require that players make a blind bet. This is similar to an ante and is done in turn around the table. The player who makes the highest bet wins the pot. Occasionally, the game is played with wild cards, which can take on any suit and rank the owner chooses.