Poker is a card game that requires strategy, bluffing skills and the ability to read opponents. It is played with a standard pack of 52 cards, although some games use multiple packs or add extra cards such as jokers. There are four suits, spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs; aces are high and the highest hand wins. Some poker games also feature wild cards, which take on whatever suit and rank their holder desires.

The game is played by two or more players who compete to win the pot, or the aggregate of all bets made on a single deal. Players may bet by raising, calling or folding, and depending on the variant of poker, one or more players may choose to reveal their hands at the end of a betting round.

There are many different variations of poker, with some requiring a fixed number of chips to be raised or called. Other games have variable limits, with bets increasing by a specified amount after each betting interval.

To begin the game, each player must place a bet, known as an ante or blind bet. The dealer then shuffles the cards and deals them to each player, beginning with the person to his or her left. The player to the right of the dealer button then places a raise bet, which is double the size of the ante.

Each player then has seven cards to create a poker hand of five. This includes the two personal cards in their hand and the five community cards on the table. Depending on the rules of the game, there may be additional cards placed on the table, called the flop, turn or river.

After the flop, each player gets another chance to call, raise or fold. If a player has a good hand, such as a pair of kings, it is usually a good idea to raise on the flop. This forces weaker hands to fold and helps to build the value of your hand.

A poker hand is valued according to its ranking and the best possible combination of cards that can be formed. The highest hand wins the pot, but sometimes there are ties. In these cases, the highest card breaks the tie.

A flush contains 5 consecutive cards of the same rank. A straight is 5 cards in a running sequence, regardless of suit. A full house consists of 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 matching cards of another rank. A pair consists of two matching cards of the same rank, and a three of a kind is three of the same cards of a higher rank. There are also other poker hands, but these are the most common.