Poker is a card game with rules for betting that can be played by 2 to 14 people. It is a game of chance, but it also involves skill and psychology. There are many different games and variants of poker, but most involve the same basic principles. The goal of the game is to win a pot, which is the sum total of all bets made during one deal. Players can win the pot by having the highest hand or by making a bet that no other player calls.

In most forms of poker, each player must first deposit a sum of money into the pot, which is then shared among the players who have not folded their hands. This amount is usually called the ante. Once everyone has antes in the pot, players begin betting. The player who makes the first bet in a round is called the opening better. In some games, the opening bet is optional.

To play poker, a standard deck of 52 cards is used (although some variant games use multiple packs or add a joker). The cards are ranked from high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. A card can be either an Ace or a Joker, depending on the game. Some cards are wild, and may take the rank of any other card (e.g., deuces or one-eyed jacks).

Before the cards are dealt, each player places his or her bet into the pot. When the betting phase ends, each player shows his or her hand to the other players. The best 5 card hand wins the pot. In most games, the highest pair wins ties. If there is a tie for the highest pair, the next highest pairs are considered, and so on.

After the flop, another betting period begins. Three community cards are then revealed in the center of the table. These cards are known as the flop, and they can be used by all players to form their own 5-card hands. A player must make a bet at least equal to the bet placed by the player to his or her immediate left in order to participate in the flop betting phase. In some games, the flop is optional, and in others, it must be called.