Poker is a card game played by two or more players. It is a game of chance, but it is also a game of skill and strategy. The game is played in homes, clubs, casinos and over the Internet. The object of the game is to win the pot, which consists of the sum of the bets made by all players in a given deal. A player may call (match) a bet, raise it or fold. A player who raises a bet must put into the pot at least as many chips as any preceding player.

In most forms of the game, each player receives 2 hole cards. There is then a round of betting, initiated by mandatory bets called blinds that are placed into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. After the bets have been made, 5 community cards are revealed on the table. These are known as the flop, turn and river.

A player can make a winning hand by matching or improving the cards in their own hand with the community cards. The highest hand is a Royal Flush, which consists of five consecutive cards of the same rank. A Straight consists of 5 cards that skip around in rank but are all from the same suit. A Pair consists of two cards of the same rank, and 3 other unmatched cards make up the rest of the hand. Some players play it safe by playing only when they have the best possible hands, but this strategy can lead to other players bluffing against you and missing opportunities where a moderate amount of risk could yield a large reward.