Poker is a card game that involves skill and strategy, as well as chance. It can be played by 2 players or many more. Players gamble with money or chips on the outcome determined by the cards randomly distributed to them. The highest hand wins.

The game is usually fast-paced, with players betting continuously until one player has all the chips or everyone folds. Players can “check” (pass on their turn to act) or “call” when they have a good hand. They can also raise their bets to encourage other players to call or to make a bigger pot. If they have a weak hand, they can fold to sit out the round and avoid losing more money.

Each player starts the game by putting in a mandatory bet (known as the blinds) that goes into a pot in the center of the table. After the players have their two hole cards, they start betting in rounds, with raising and re-raising allowed. Once all players have a full hand, they show their cards and the player with the best hand wins the pot.

The game is traditionally based on the standard 52-card deck, but some variant games use multiple packs or add additional cards called wilds. The suits are ranked from high to low, spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs; and the ace can be high or low, depending on the game. Often, there are additional cards that will be dealt on the flop, turn and river, which can change the strength of a hand.