Poker is a card game that involves betting and raising your bet to compete for the best poker hand. It requires considerable skill, and players use their knowledge of the other players to make wise decisions.

Players place an initial amount of money into the pot before the cards are dealt. This is called the ante or blind bet. Then, the cards are dealt face up or down depending on the poker variant being played. Once the cards are dealt, the first round of betting begins. During each round of betting, the player with the highest poker hand wins.

A high poker hand can be a royal flush, four matching cards of the same rank, or a straight, five consecutive cards of the same suit. It can also be three of a kind or two pair. In three of a kind, you have two matching cards of one rank and two unmatched cards of another rank. Two pair consists of two cards of the same rank and three other unmatched cards.

During each round of betting, the players take turns clockwise around the table revealing their hands. They can call, check, raise, or fold. If a player chooses to fold, they forfeit the chance to win that round of betting. The winner of the round takes all the chips in the pot. There are often rules for how this money is shared among the other players at the table.