Poker is a card game where players bet chips (or real money) to win a hand. There are many variations of poker, but they all involve betting and a minimum of five cards dealt to each player. The game is usually played with a standard deck of 52 cards, and the highest hand wins the pot.
Some games also use Wild Cards which can take on the rank of any suit or the value of a pair of jacks, for example. This can make a hand very difficult to read, but it does not change the rankings of the cards. The rank of a hand is determined by its odds (probability): Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
In most games, players must place an ante before they can see their cards. This is called an ante and is a form of ‘buy-in’ to the game. Some games require blind bets as well, and these are rotated around the table each round.
After the antes have been placed, three more cards are dealt face up to all players. These are called the flop, and they are used to build each player’s 5-card hand. After the flop, a second betting phase begins.