Poker is a type of gambling game played with cards. The object of the game is to get the best possible hand using five cards. The winning hand is determined by the highest card. Depending on the rules of the game, different players can win the main pot. The winning hand can be straight, flush, four of a kind, three of a kind, two pairs, or a combination of three or more of the same.
The standard set of cards for poker is a 52-card English deck. The first three community cards are dealt face up, then the dealer cuts a card from the top of the deck. The player who is dealt the highest card breaks a tie, if there are two or more people who have the same card.
The remaining players may discard one or more of their cards, but not all. When all the cards have been discarded, the winner is the person who holds the best hand.
There are hundreds of variations of the game, all of which differ in the way cards are dealt. Some variants use multiple packs, and some add jokers.
Most games involve an ante. This means that the first player to act must place a certain amount of money into the pot. The ante amount varies from game to game.
If the first player to act folds, the remainder of the players can make a bet or discard a single or five cards. If the remaining players all call, the pot is split evenly between them.