The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game that involves betting, raising and bluffing in order to win wagers (or “the pot”). It’s a fast-paced game that requires strategic thinking and keen observation of your opponents. It is played with a standard 52-card deck and there are many different variants of the game.

When a player is dealt 2 cards, the round of betting begins with two mandatory bets called blinds put into the pot by players to the left of the dealer. After the blinds are placed, a single card is dealt face up and there is another round of betting. The highest ranked hand wins the pot.

A full house contains 3 matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank. A flush contains 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. A straight contains five cards that skip around in rank and/or sequence but are from multiple suits. Three of a kind is made up of 3 matching cards of the same rank and two unmatched cards.

After the betting is completed, a showdown takes place where each player reveals their cards. The player with the highest ranked hand wins the pot, which consists of all the bets placed during that particular round. If no player has a winning hand, the remaining players split the pot equally.