Poker is a card game, traditionally played with chips, where players place bets into a pot. The highest-value hand wins the pot. Bets can be made by calling, raising, or folding. The game has become a popular pastime and is a common activity in many casinos, private homes, and on the Internet. It has also been called the national card game of the United States, and its play and jargon are part of American culture.
Each player must pay a small amount of money (called an ante, the amount varies by game) to be dealt cards. Once everyone has two cards, there is a round of betting in which each player can choose to call, raise or fold. The person with the best hand wins the pot.
In a real game of poker, the first round of betting starts with the player to the left of the button (a small disc indicating who has the turn to act). When the betting comes around to your hand, you can say “raise” if you want to put more money into the pot, or just say “call” if you wish to match the previous bet.
The highest hand is a straight, which contains five consecutive cards of the same rank. The second-highest hand is a flush, which contains three matching cards of one rank and two unmatched cards of another. The third-highest hand is a pair, which consists of two distinct pairs of cards. The high card breaks ties.