Poker is a card game that is played by a group of players around a table. The game is typically played from a standard pack of 52 cards (some variant games use multiple packs or add a few cards called jokers).
In the majority of variants, each player is dealt a hand consisting of five cards and the highest-ranking hand wins the pot. In other games, the best hand is based on a combination of lower-ranking hands; in some variants, the lowest-ranking hand is the highest.
Each player is required to ante something in order to be dealt cards, and they must then bet according to their position. When the next player calls or raises, they must match the latest bet or fold.
Betting rounds proceed in clockwise order until all players have made their bets or folded. At the end of each betting round, a showdown occurs in which all players must reveal their cards and evaluate their hands.
There are four basic types of hands in poker: Flush-five cards of the same suit; Straight-five consecutive cards of one suit; Full House-three of a kind; and Royal flush-ten through Ace of the same suit.
The lowest possible hand is 7-5-4-3-2 in two or more suits; some variations treat the ace as an optional low card and make 6-4-3-2-A the lowest.
Regardless of your preferred rules, it is important to play poker fairly. Don’t try to cheat, and don’t give away any information about your hand after folding. This is a bad habit that can ruin the mood at the table and cause other players to think poorly of you.