Poker is a game of strategy, chance and social interaction between players. It involves a minimum investment of money (or chips) in exchange for the opportunity to win. The game has many variants, but most share certain core features. Players place bets (representing money) into a common pot during one or more betting intervals in turn. The player who has the highest poker hand wins the pot.

The highest poker hand is a Royal Flush, consisting of four matching cards of the same rank in a single suit. Other high hands include a Straight, five consecutive cards of the same rank in more than one suit, and Three of a Kind, which consists of two matching cards of the same rank and an unmatched card. A pair is composed of two cards of the same rank, and a low hand is simply two unmatched cards.

During each betting interval, one player has the privilege or obligation to make the first bet. He may raise his bet, call it, or check. A player who checks must match the previous player’s bet to stay in the round.

Poker is usually played with a standard 52-card pack, sometimes with one or two jokers. For games with more than ten players, a second pack of cards of contrasting colors is used. Each player buys in for a number of chips, with a white chip (or some other light-colored chip) worth a fixed amount, and red or blue chips of varying values.