Poker is a card game of skill and chance that can be played between two or more players. It is usually played with a standard 52-card English deck. Players may choose to use one or more jokers/wild cards. Generally, only the best hand wins.
The highest-ranking hand is a royal flush, which contains a king (K), queen (Q), jack (J) and an ace of the same suit in sequence. The next highest is a straight flush, which contains five consecutive card values of the same suit in sequence, but it can start with either the ace or the deuce. Three of a kind contains three matching cards of one rank and two unmatched cards of another, while a pair is made up of two matching cards of the same rank plus an additional card of any rank.
Depending on the game rules, one or more players must place an amount of money into the pot before the cards are dealt. These forced bets are called antes, blinds or bring-ins. During each betting interval a player has the option to either call a bet, raise it or drop his hand. If he raises the bet he must then put into the pot an amount of chips equal to or higher than the total contribution of any player before him.
There are several different betting intervals for each poker deal, and once the last one has ended there is a showdown where the players reveal their hands. The player with the highest poker hand wins the pot.