Poker is a card game in which players bet that they have the best hand. In turn, other players may call or raise the bet and concede their own hand. This is called the game’s betting cycle.

A standard poker hand consists of five cards and is evaluated in inverse proportion to its mathematical frequency: the more uncommon the combination, the higher the rank. When two hands tie, they divide the winnings equally. A pair contains two matching cards of one rank; three of a kind is three matching cards of another rank; four of a kind is four cards of the same rank; a straight consists of five consecutive cards of the same suit; and a flush is five cards of the same suit (in some games, suits have no relative rank).

The player who has the highest hand wins. Depending on the game, there can be a single or multiple side pots in addition to the main pot. A player who chooses to decline making a bet and thus drop out of the side pots forfeits his rights in those pots.

Each player must ante a certain amount of money, which we call the “pot”, in order to receive his cards. Once the cards are dealt, the players place bets into the pot in a clockwise direction until someone checks. The person who opens the betting is called an opener. If you’re dealt a good hand, such as a pair of kings, then it’s worth calling the bet to keep the pressure on and to give yourself the best chance of winning.