Poker is a card game in which players wager money on the probability of having a certain type of hand. There are countless variants of the game, but they all involve betting and the same basic rules. Players place chips into a central pot when they call a bet and then reveal their cards at the end of the hand. The player with the highest ranked hand wins the pot. There may also be side pots for specific hands (for example, high pair).

There are two major categories of hands in poker: straight and flush. A straight is a sequence of five consecutive cards of the same suit. A flush is a sequence of three consecutive cards of the same rank. Other common hands include two pairs, three of a kind and four of a kind. A five of a kind is the best possible hand and always beats all other hands.

One of the keys to success in poker is knowing when to fold and when to bluff. A good player can often make a weak hand more valuable by betting heavily on the flop, turn and river. This can force out other players who have better hands or think you are bluffing.

The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, and each player has an equal number of chips. The dealer shuffles the cards and then deals them to each player, beginning with the person to their right. The cards are dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the particular variant of poker being played. There are usually several rounds of betting during a hand.