Poker is a card game in which players compete to assemble the highest-ranking hand of cards, winning cash or chips. The game requires a mixture of luck and skill to win, but over time the application of skills can eliminate most of the variance caused by chance. Poker can be played by two or more players, and the game is usually played for stakes that are determined by the rules of the game and the players’ attitudes towards risk-taking.
In many games, players place an initial amount of money into the pot before the cards are dealt; this is called the ante or blind bet. As the game progresses, players may raise their bets by saying “raise” or adding more money to the betting pool. Depending on the rules of the game, players can also fold their cards at any point in a hand if they think they have a weak one.
The highest-ranking poker hand is a royal flush, which consists of four matching cards of the same rank in a suit. Other high-ranking hands include a straight, which contains five consecutive cards of the same rank in a single suit, and three of a kind, which consists of three matching cards of the same rank. A pair consists of two cards of the same rank, and a full house consists of three matching cards of one rank and two cards of another rank, plus a pair. In some games, a wild card (called the joker) can be added to improve any hand.