Poker is a card game that involves betting between players. It is played with a standard deck of 52 cards and can be divided into many different variants. The game is popular worldwide and is played in casinos, home games, and private clubs. There are a number of rules that must be followed in order to play the game well.

After each player has received 2 hole cards, a round of betting begins. This is normally initiated by two mandatory bets called blinds that are placed into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. These bets help create an incentive for the players to engage in the hand.

Once the first round of betting has taken place, the flop is dealt. Each player then looks at their own cards and decides whether they want to continue in the hand or not. They can call (place a bet equal to or higher than the previous raise), raise, or fold.

A straight is a five card sequence in order of suits (5-4-3-2-1, for example). A flush is four of the same suit. Three of a kind is three cards of the same rank. A full house is a combination of three of the same kind and two pairs. A royal flush is the highest possible hand and consists of the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten of the same suit.

The last stage of the hand is the showdown phase. Players take turns revealing their hands and the player with the best hand wins the pot. Depending on the variant of poker, a player may also choose not to reveal their hand and instead make an all-in bet which is based on the amount they have staked on the hand.