Originally a card game, poker is now played online and in casinos. The main objective of the game is to be the player with the best hand. This is achieved by choosing a combination of cards from a hand of five.

Poker is usually played with between 5-7 players. The game is played with a standard deck of cards, which is ranked from Ace to Jack. In some variant games, players can also add jokers.

A basic poker game begins with the player to the left of the big blind acting first. The player then places a small blind bet before being dealt cards. This is followed by another betting phase. The winner is determined by the highest card in the hand.

There are many variations of poker. Some games feature Wild Cards that can take any suit. Other games use multiple packs, which are not used in each hand. The best hand is the straight flush.

A royal flush is a straight flush with an Ace high. Other high card feats include two four of a kind and the most interesting of all, a five of a kind.

A bluff is a good way to get your opponents to believe you have a good hand. A high card can also break a tie. Ties are broken by the highest card in the hand and a secondary pair. The straight flush is not as impressive as the best hand.

The smallest card in the hand is the ace, which may be low or high. A pair of aces is the lowest pair.