Poker is a card game in which players wager chips (representing money, for which poker is almost always played) against one another. The object of the game is to win the pot, which consists of the sum total of bets made by all players at any given deal. A player may win the pot by having a superior hand, or by betting that he has such a hand and convincing other players to call his bets. In addition, a player may win the pot by bluffing, by raising bets when he does not have a superior hand.
In a typical poker game, cards are dealt in a circular fashion around the table. Each player places a number of chips into the pot, representing the amount he is willing to risk. The first player to place chips into the pot does so by calling a bet; each subsequent player must either raise that bet or else drop out of the betting. If a player drops out of the pot, he forfeits any rights to the original bet and any side pots that may have formed.
The game of Poker can be played by any number of players, although six to eight is ideal. The rules of the game vary, but most forms involve one or more rounds of betting and a showdown in which the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. The highest hand is a royal flush, which contains four matching cards of the same rank and the same suit. The second highest is a straight, which contains 5 consecutive cards of the same rank but in different suits; the third is three of a kind; and the lowest is two pair.