Poker is a card game played by two or more players and involving betting. Each player must choose whether to call (match) the bet, raise it (increase it), or fold. The game may also involve bluffing. The outcome of a hand significantly involves chance, but players often make decisions on the basis of probability theory, psychology, and game theory. It is widely considered the national card game of the United States, and its play and jargon permeate American culture.
One or more players must place forced bets, usually an ante and a blind bet. The dealer shuffles, cuts the cards with the player on the chair to their right, and deals each player a number of cards, depending on the variant of poker being played. These cards may be face-up or face-down, and each player places a bet into a central pot. The betting continues in rounds, and the cards are dealt as the players’ hands develop.
A winning poker hand consists of five cards in sequence. The highest five-card hand is a royal flush, followed by straight, four of a kind, three of a kind, and pair. A high card is used to break ties. In the case of a tie between two pairs, the higher rank wins. In addition to the above hands, a player may win with an all-in bet, which means they place all of their remaining chips into the pot if they have a good hand.