Poker is a card game that can be played between two and seven players. It is a game of strategy and chance with a great deal of luck involved. The goal is to win the pot – the total amount of all bets made in one deal – by having the highest ranked hand when the cards are shown.
The game begins with each player receiving two cards, called hole cards, face down. The player to the left of the dealer makes a mandatory bet, called a blind, and this is placed into the pot before any other players can decide how much they want to wager.
Once the betting has taken place and all players have placed their bets, the five community cards are dealt in stages – three at first, then an additional single card, known as the turn, then the final card, called the river. Once these are revealed, another round of betting takes place, with the same player as always making the first bet.
The highest-ranking hand is a royal flush which contains a 10, jack, queen, king and ace of the same suit in sequence (clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades). Other high hands include a straight which is five cards of consecutive rank but not all from the same suit, four of a kind which is three cards of the same rank and two unmatched cards and a pair which is two cards of the same rank (for example, a pair of sixes). In the event of a tie, the winnings are shared.