The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game in which players bet against each other to try to make the best possible hand. The player with the highest-ranking hand wins the pot, which is usually split evenly among all active players.

The game begins with each player placing an initial bet, called an ante (amount varies by variant), into the pot to receive cards. Then, there are betting intervals during which the players have an opportunity to make additional bets on their hands.

A standard poker hand comprises five cards. These are ranked according to their odds, based on the frequency of their combinations. The most common hands are a pair of kings or higher, a pair of aces or higher, and three of a kind.

In many games, the best possible hand is a flush, which contains any 5 cards of the same suit. Other popular hands include a straight, which is any five cards of consecutive rank but from different suits, and a full house, which contains 3 cards of one rank and 2 of another.

When two or more identical hands tie, the higher-ranking hand breaks the ties with the high cards outside its ranks. The highest-ranking hand beats a flush or straight, the second-highest hand beats a full house, and so on.