Poker is a card game of skill that involves betting between players. The object is to win the pot, which is the sum of all bets placed in a single deal. Players may also bluff, in which case they make a bet without having a good hand, hoping to induce players with superior hands to call their bets.

In poker, a poker hand consists of five cards, with the highest one winning the pot. A high pair is a pair of cards with the same rank. A flush is five consecutive cards of the same suit, such as 5-6-7-8-9. A straight is 5 cards in order, but not necessarily a wraparound (A-K-Q-J-T). A royal flush is the highest natural poker hand.

Unlike most games of chance, poker is a skill game that can be mathematically studied and optimized. As such, the most profitable strategy is based on optimal frequencies and hand ranges rather than pure luck.

Some poker variants use more than the standard 53-card pack, with extra cards called jokers or bugs. In most games, however, the standard four suits of spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs are used, with the ace being high and occasionally designated as wild (as in deuces or one-eye jacks).

In most poker variants, players are required to place forced bets before they receive their cards, known as the ante or blind bet. The person to the left of the dealer button has the small blind, and the player two positions to their right has the big blind. A dealer then shuffles and deals the cards to each player, one at a time, starting with the first player to their left. The players then take turns either raising or calling each other’s bets. Depending on the game, there may be multiple rounds of betting.