Poker is a card game for two or more players. It can be played with any number of players from 2 to 14, but the ideal amount of players is 6. The object of poker is to win the pot, which is the sum of all bets placed during a single hand. This may be achieved by having the best poker hand or by making a bet that no one else calls.

The game begins with one or more forced bets, usually an ante and/or blind bet. The dealer shuffles the cards and then deals them out to the players, beginning with the player to their left. Each player is then allowed to check their cards and, if they do not want to call, raise a bet. A player can raise or lower their bet at any point during a hand, but raising means you have a good poker hand and are confident enough to make a high bet.

When betting on a particular hand, the player will often use the flop, turn and river to add more cards to their hand. This is called hitting your cards and can be very profitable, especially when you have a low card in the hole but hit it on the turn or river.

The player with the best poker hand wins the pot. There are different kinds of poker hands, but the highest ranked is the Royal Flush (five consecutive suits from ace to ten). A pair of cards of equal rank and three unrelated side cards also wins the pot.