Poker is a card game played between two or more players and involves betting. The object of the game is to win the pot, which is the sum total of all bets made during a deal. The pot can be won by having the highest-ranking poker hand or by making a bet that no other player calls. Players may also choose to bluff, in which case they bet that they have a high hand even when they do not.

There are countless variations on the game of poker, but all share certain essential features. The game begins with one or more forced bets, which are usually the ante and the blind bets. The dealer then shuffles the cards and offers them to the player to his right for a cut. Once a cut has been made, the dealer deals each player five cards, which are dealt face-up or face-down depending on the variant being played.

Each player must then place a number of chips into the pot equal to or higher than the amount bet by the person to his left. A player can also raise his bet by increasing the amount of money he is putting in, which is known as raising. A raised bet is indicated by saying “I raise,” and any player may call the new bet or fold, which means that they do not wish to match it.

Once all the players have their cards, they participate in a series of betting intervals, during which each player must either make a bet or fold. The remaining players then show their hands to the rest of the table, and the player with the best hand wins the pot. If nobody has a winning hand, then all remaining players must place more chips into the pot to trigger a showdown.

Some poker games use wild cards which can take on whatever suit or rank they want, while others will specify which cards are wild (dueces, one-eyed jacks, etc). While luck is important in poker, the ability to read other players is also vital in order to know when to fold and when to push.

In most forms of the game, the highest-ranking hand is a straight or flush. A straight consists of three cards of the same rank in sequence, while a flush consists of five consecutive cards of the same suit. Other common hands include three of a kind, four of a kind, and pair. A poker hand is ranked in inverse proportion to its mathematical frequency, meaning that the more unusual the combination of cards, the more valuable the hand. In addition to the basic rules of poker, there are several other rules which must be followed, including the proper way to hold and display the cards. These rules differ from one variant of poker to another, and some are considered illegal in some jurisdictions.