Poker is a card game in which players make bets by placing chips into a central pot. The pot is won by the player with the best five-card hand. Players place bets voluntarily, with the exception of initial forced bets (ante or blind). A player may raise his or her own bet if he believes it has positive expected value. A player may also try to bluff other players for various strategic reasons. A successful bluff can often force weaker hands to fold and win the pot.
When a round of betting is over, all remaining cards are revealed. Each player then has the option to call, check, or fold. A player can also put all of his or her remaining chips into the pot, which is known as an all-in bet.
Each player is dealt two personal cards (sometimes called “your hand”) and the dealer then deals the rest of the community cards face up on the table (“the flop”). Players aim to make a best five-card poker hand by using the combination of their own two cards and the community cards.
A poker hand can consist of any combination of five cards of the same suit, or four of a kind, three of a kind, two pairs, or a straight. A royal flush is a rare and highly valuable hand. There are a number of other special poker hands, but the most common are the straight and the flush.