Poker is a card game with many variants, but all share the objective of making a strong hand of five cards. The value of a hand is determined in part by its mathematical frequency, so that hands that are more rare are worth more. Players may also choose to bluff, betting that they have a good hand when they do not. In a bluff, the other players must either call (match) the bet or fold.

Initially, one or more players make forced bets, usually an ante and/or a blind bet. The dealer shuffles the cards, and then deals them to each player in turn, beginning with the person sitting to his or her left. The cards can be dealt face up or face down, depending on the variant of poker being played. Players place chips (representing money) into a pot during each betting interval, and at the end of the final round, players reveal their hands and the winner takes the pot.

Each player has two personal cards in their hand and the rest are community cards. The player with the best combination of these five cards wins. A winning hand is any of the following categories: High card – the highest card in the player’s hand beats all other hands; Pair – two cards of the same rank, for example, two sixes; Three of a kind – three cards of the same rank beats all other hands; Flush – cards of the same suit beat all other hands. When a hand is tied, the higher rank breaks the tie.