Poker is a card game in which players place bets on the chance of winning a hand. It can be played by two to seven people, although it is best with five or six. It is usually played with a standard 52-card English deck, but can be modified to include wild cards. The cards are arranged in a circular fashion with one card face up and the rest hidden from view. A player can reveal any number of cards to their opponents during the course of betting, but must show all of his or her own cards when the final hand is revealed.
At the beginning of a hand, each player is required to make forced bets, usually an ante and a blind bet (sometimes both). The dealer then shuffles the cards and the player on the chair to his or her right cuts. The dealer then deals each player a hand of five cards. During the course of several betting rounds, each player may replace cards in their hand.
The highest ranked five-card hand wins the pot, or all of the money bet during the hand. Various other hands can also win, depending on the value of each individual card and the combination of cards in a particular hand.
A pair of matching cards, a three-of-a-kind, a straight or a flush all have varying values. In the event of a tie, the higher unmatched card determines the winner.