Poker is a card game where the object is to win the pot, which consists of all the bets made during a deal. This is generally accomplished by having the highest five-card poker hand or by betting aggressively and convincing other players that you have a strong hand. There are many variants of the game, but they all share a few basic principles.
During each round of betting, one player (as determined by the rules of the specific poker variant) has the privilege or obligation to make the first bet, and all players must place chips into the pot that are at least equal in value to the bet made by the player before him. If a player wants to increase the amount of money in the pot, he can say “raise.” Other players may then choose to call or fold.
The cards are dealt face down to each player. Once the betting is complete, the dealer puts three cards on the table that are visible to everyone called in the hand. These are known as the flop.
The most common poker hands are two pairs, three of a kind, and a straight. The best possible hand is a full house, which contains 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 matching cards of another rank. A flush is any 5 cards that are of consecutive rank but from more than one suit. Tiebreakers for poker hands are the highest pair, the highest straight, and the high card.