Poker is a game of cards and money, in which players wager against each other to see who has the best hand. It’s a social, fast-paced game that involves some element of chance, but most success depends on strategy chosen by the player on the basis of probability and psychology.
To begin a hand, each player must put a small amount of money into the pot (representing the bets) to be eligible to play. This amount is called the ante and it’s usually equal to the minimum bet in any given round of betting. In addition, some games require players to contribute additional chips into the pot prior to the deal – this is called the blind.
When it is your turn, you can “call” a bet (or raise it) by placing chips into the pot that are at least as many as the amount placed in by the player before you. You can also “drop” a hand by not contributing any chips to the pot and discarding your cards. This is sometimes done to make a weak hand look stronger.
The highest-ranking poker hand is a royal flush, which is made up of a 10 (or ace) Jack, Queen, or King of the same suit in one kind. A straight flush is five consecutive cards of the same suit. Four of a kind is made up of four cards of the same rank (such as two threes). The lowest-ranking poker hand is a pair, which is just two matching cards.