Poker is a card game in which players wager money on the outcome of a hand. It is commonly played with a standard deck of 52 cards, though some variant games use multiple packs or add special cards such as jokers. The game’s popularity is partly due to the fact that bluffing is an important aspect of play, and even the best possible hand does not always win.
In the beginning of a poker game, each player must ante a set amount (varies by game) to get dealt two cards face up. Then there are one or more betting intervals, with the privilege to bet passing from player to player. In the betting intervals, a player may call a bet by placing chips in the pot equal to or higher than the amount put in by the player before him. Alternatively, he can raise his bet, or drop out of the game. If he drops out, he must leave the kitty (a fund of low-denomination chips that players contribute to the pot) and forfeit any chips that were part of it.
There are many different kinds of poker hands, but the highest is a Straight. A Straight is 5 consecutive cards of the same rank, such as 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8. The second highest is a Full House, which consists of 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 matching cards of another rank, such as 4 of clubs. High Card breaks ties when none of the above hands are present.