Poker is a card game played by a group of players around a table. It can be a fast-paced game with players betting on each hand. The player who has the best 5-card hand wins the “pot,” which is all of the money that has been bet during a round of the game. If a player does not have a good hand, they may fold and forfeit their bets. Players can also make a bet by raising the amount of their previous bet or simply calling it. This strategy is known as bluffing.
After each player has received 2 cards, the first of several betting rounds begins. Depending on the variant of poker being played, one or more players may be required to place forced bets (known as ante and blind bets). Once all of the bets have been placed, 1 additional card is dealt face up to each player, which is commonly called the flop.
The value of a poker hand is based on its mathematical frequency and the number of unmatched cards. The higher the frequency, the lower the value of the hand. A pair consists of two cards of the same rank, while three of a kind is 3 matching cards of the same rank, and a straight is 5 cards of consecutive ranks in different suits. A full house consists of 3 matching cards of the same rank and 2 matching cards of another rank.