Poker is a card game with many variants that can be played with any number of players. The objective is to win the pot, or sum of all bets made in a round. Players place their chips into the pot either by calling a bet, raising a bet or by dropping out. The player with the best hand wins the pot. This may be done by playing a strong hand, or by betting aggressively in order to force weaker hands out of the game. In addition, bluffing is an important part of poker strategy.

The game is usually played with poker chips, each of which has a specific value. The white chip is usually worth the minimum ante or bet, the blue chip is worth five whites and the red chips are worth 10 or 20 whites. Each player must “buy in” for a set amount of chips before the betting begins.

After the initial betting interval, each player is dealt two cards and aims to make the best 5-card hand from their own pair of cards and the five community cards. During the showdown, each player must reveal their cards.

There are a few different types of poker hands, the highest of which is the royal flush. Other strong hands include a straight, four of a kind, and a full house. In some games, a wild card (called a bug) can be used to form certain special hands.