Poker is a card game in which players bet over a series of betting rounds with the goal of winning a pot, or the sum of all bets. Regardless of the specific game, poker’s core strategy is to raise and call when you have faith in your cards and to fold when you think you can’t win or can’t afford to keep playing.
The game is played with a standard pack of 52 cards, plus one or more jokers (depending on the variant). Cards are ranked from high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2. The highest five-card hand wins. Some games also include wild cards, which take on whatever suit or rank the player wishes (like deuces or one-eyed jacks).
Players may place additional chips into the pot in addition to their own stake, known as an ante, blind, or bring-in, prior to dealing the cards. These are called forced bets. Players may also choose to bluff, betting that they have a strong hand while hoping other players will call their bets.
The best poker hands vary from game to game, but in general any hand that has more cards of a higher rank beats a hand with less cards of a lower rank. Examples of this type of hand are a full house, four of a kind, three of a kind, and two pairs. The highest pair breaks ties.