Poker is a card game that requires betting between players. It is typically played with a standard 52-card pack, sometimes with one or two jokers added as wild cards. There are many variants of the game, and there are rules for how to bet and when to raise. The player who has the best hand wins the pot, or all of the chips in the game.

There are 2 mandatory bets (called blinds) placed into the pot before a single card is dealt to each player. These cards are called a hole or pocket card and are hidden from other players. A round of betting then begins, starting with the player to the left of the big blind. Then 3 more cards are dealt face up, which are called the flop. Another round of betting occurs, beginning with the player to the left of the small blind.

The best poker hand consists of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit, such as four aces. There are also other hands that can be made, including a full house (3 matching cards of the same rank and 2 unmatched cards), a flush (all 5 consecutive cards of the same suit but not in sequence), and a pair (2 matching cards of the same rank and one unmatched card). There are also several ways to combine cards to form these hands. Some of these combinations, such as a full house, are impossible to beat by any other poker hand.