Poker is a card game played by two or more players. Each player has “chips” which they use to bet on the outcome of a hand. The aim is to make the best five-card “hand” using your own cards and the community cards. A good poker hand requires skill as well as luck. A considerable amount of the game is reading your opponents and deciding whether or not to call, raise or fold.

The game is usually played with a standard deck of 52 cards (though some variants may use multiple packs, add wild cards or include other extra cards). The card ranks are: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 8, 7, 6 and 5; no suit is higher than another. During the betting phase, the players take turns clockwise around the table revealing their hands. The highest hand wins the pot. If no one has a winning hand, the round ends and a new betting round begins.

In some games, the players agree to establish a special fund called a “kitty,” which is used for paying for new decks of cards and other necessities for the game. Each player contributes a low-denomination chip to this fund when they place a raise, and the chips remain in the kitty until the game ends.

Some poker variants require that each player pay a blind bet before they are dealt their cards. This bet is made before the antes and can be raised, called or checked.