Poker is a card game played by two or more players. There are many variants of the game, but all involve betting and a showdown. The object of the game is to win the pot, which is the total amount of all bets placed in a single deal.

Each player is dealt two cards. A round of betting starts when the player to the left of the dealer puts in a mandatory bet, called the blind. Then the remaining players put in the amount of their choice into the pot. The highest hand wins the pot.

After the betting is over the flop is revealed. You can now build your best five card poker hand by using the four community cards and the two cards in your own hand. You can also bluff to make your hand stronger, which is a key component of the game.

Generally speaking, the highest poker hands are a straight or a flush. A straight contains 5 consecutive cards of one suit, while a flush contains any 5 cards that skip around in rank but belong to the same suit.

Another good hand to have is a pair of kings. This hand beats almost any other two card combination except a full house and a straight. A pair is made up of 2 distinct pairs of cards and a fifth high card that breaks ties.