Poker is a card game where players wager money (or chips) to win. It is usually played from a standard pack of 52 cards and can include additional rules. There are a number of different variants of the game, which differ in how the cards are dealt, betting rules and what constitutes a winning hand.

Players start by ‘buying in’, paying a mandatory bet (the amount varies depending on the game) to receive two cards each. They then place bets into the pot, in turn, during one or more betting rounds. Players can call, raise or fold their bets.

In each betting round, the player to the left of the opening player has the option to open the betting. If they do, the players to their left must either raise or call. Then everyone checks their hands and the best hand wins.

There are a number of different ways to make a poker hand, and the highest winning hand is a royal flush (a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit) and a four of a kind (four cards of the same rank). In some games, there may be wild cards, which can take on any suit.

By agreement, the players can build up a fund called the kitty, which is used to pay for new decks of cards and drinks and food at the end of the game. Any chips remaining in the kitty when the game ends are split amongst those still playing.