Poker is a card game that involves betting between two or more players. The player with the highest hand wins the pot. Generally, a minimum amount of money must be placed in the pot at the beginning of each hand, called an ante. This is followed by a series of rounds of betting in which each player can increase or decrease the size of their bet based on their hand and the other players’ actions. Players may also use bluffing techniques to win hands.

The game uses a standard deck of 52 cards (although some variant games use more). There are four suits: spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. The rank of a card (from high to low) is determined by its suit. The game also uses wild cards, sometimes called jokers, that can take on any suit and rank.

In a game of poker, a player can bet on their own hand by saying “raise” after another player has bet, or they can simply call. If a player does raise, they must match the amount of money raised by another player or fold their hand. A player can also check, meaning they do not place any money in the pot, and wait for betting to come around to them again.