Poker is a card game played between two or more players and is a form of gambling. It involves betting, raising, and folding cards to form a hand according to certain rules. The game may be played with one or more betting rounds and is usually won by the highest-ranking hand.

There are many variations of poker, but all involve betting and bluffing to win the pot. The game is generally played with a standard 52-card deck, although some games use multiple packs or add wild cards (jokers) to the mix. The highest-ranking hand wins, and ties are broken by the highest card in each suit.

Each player places an ante in the pot to participate in the hand, and then each player is dealt five cards. These cards are placed face down. The first player to the right of the dealer can choose to bet, raise, or check. The player who opens a betting round is called an active player.

Once the betting has begun, a showdown occurs when the cards are revealed and the winning player claims the pot. All of the other players must either call the bet or fold their hands. Players who raise and re-raise on each betting round are known as raisers.

The game can be played by any number of players, from 2 to 14. It is recommended that the number of players should be equal and that they take turns being the dealer. The dealer is the person who does the shuffling and the betting.

In a normal hand, each player must place in the pot the amount of money equal to or higher than that placed by the previous player. A player may also elect to bluff, in which case they will try to make other players think that they have the best hand. Players may bluff only when they believe that there is a positive expected value to their bets.

A hand must consist of at least three cards to qualify as a pair. High pairs and three of a kind are the highest hands. If no pair or better is formed, a tie is declared and the winnings are split evenly. High cards break ties in hands with two distinct pairs and in other hands with four of a kind, straights, or flushes. A high card is any card which is not a pair, three of a kind, or a straight or flush.