Poker is a card game played by one or more players with cards that are dealt face down and used to form hands. The hand with the highest card wins. The pot is split evenly among the participants.

Several variations are played. In most versions of the game, a player must place a pre-determined amount of money in the blinds before the game begins. The amount of ante, or the minimum a player is allowed to wager, varies by game.

Depending on the rules of the game, players can raise the blinds, call, fold, or check. In some variants, a player may be forced to make a bet by a certain time limit.

Using more than five cards is not uncommon. Some games require a special wild card. The wild card is a card that is unsuited but could take any suit.

A good poker hand is comprised of five cards. Some poker games include jokers. There are also variants that allow the use of multiple packs of cards.

A hand with more than three cards is called a bluff. A hand with two cards is a pair. A hand with four cards is a flush. A straight is when all of the cards belong to the same suit.

A high card breaks a tie. In some games, the ace is treated as the lowest card. In others, the ace is the only card.

There are plenty of poker games, ranging from lowball to stud. The rules for each game vary slightly, but the game is usually played with a pack of cards and a black or blue chip.