The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game in which players wager money against one another. The object is to win the pot (all of the bets placed during a hand) by having the highest-ranked hand when all cards are revealed at the end of the round. Players can also win the pot by continuing to bet that their hand is the best until all other players fold.

Each player has two hidden cards called “hole cards” which they use in combination with the five community cards to form their final Poker hand. Players may choose to raise the stakes of a particular hand by calling out “raise” when it is their turn to act. Players can also call out “call” if they wish to match the previous bet.

Ideally, Poker is played with 5 or 6 players. Each player puts an initial amount of money into the pot before the cards are dealt – these bets are known as antes, blinds or bring-ins. Depending on the rules of the game, some players may be required to make these bets before they even see their own cards.

A player’s Poker hand is ranked from highest to lowest as follows: Ace, King (K), Queen (Q), Jack (J) and Ten (10)