Poker is a card game in which players wager (usually a small amount of money) against one another. The goal is to form a high-ranking hand according to the rules of the game and win the pot at the end of each betting round. This can be done by either having the highest-ranking hand, by bluffing, or by making a bet that no other player calls.

Before dealing cards, each player must place a forced bet (the size of this bet varies by game). The dealer then shuffles the deck and deals cards to each player in turn, beginning with the player to their left. Each player must then decide whether to call a bet and reveal their cards or fold. If a player folds, they forfeit their cards and cannot make a new hand.

There are many variations of the game, but the basic rules are the same across all games. The most important aspect of winning poker is entering the pot with a strong starting hand more often than your opponents do, and then making smart decisions about calling and raising bets based on the probability that you have the best possible hand.

A poker hand consists of five cards. Each card has a rank, determined by its mathematical frequency. High-ranking hands are more common than lower-ranking ones, and therefore have higher values. The highest hand is a full house, consisting of three of a kind and a pair. If more than one player has a full house, the higher-ranking hand wins. A flush consists of five cards of the same suit, in any order.