Poker is a casino game where players compete with their cards to win money. Each player is dealt five cards. The cards are ranked from Ace high to Ace low. The player with the best hand wins the pot. The amount of the ante is different for each game. The game is played clockwise. If a player wins, the player to the dealer’s left must call the blind bet or fold before another player can raise the stake.

There are hundreds of different ways to play poker, and the rules differ in different casinos. However, the basic rules of the game are usually the same. In most games, players make an ante or blind bet before being dealt cards. These cards are then known as hole cards. The cards are dealt face up or face down depending on the game variant.

In five-card poker, the winning hand has at least three pairs. One pair must be higher than the other two pairs. If more than one player has a pair of fours, the higher card wins. In case of ties, a high card breaks the tie. Similarly, a flush is a hand that has all four cards of the same suit.

The most common game of poker is Texas Hold’em. It originated with a 36-card Piquet deck, but most games are played with a standard 52-card deck. In this game, the Ace has a high ranking but is often used low in a “straight” of cards.