Poker is a card game that involves betting between players and can be played in many different ways. The rules of each variant differ but most include one or more rounds of betting and a showdown at the end where the player with the best 5-card hand wins the pot (all the bets placed throughout the round). Players may call (match the bet), raise (increase the bet), or concede (fold). Some players also bluff, pretending to have a superior hand in order to win bets from players with inferior hands.

Players start each hand by placing a small bet called a buy-in, which represents their money to play. This is then added to a common pool called the pot, which players use to place bets on each round of cards. The player who places the first bet is said to be the player in position or in the “first-to-act” seat.

After the buy-ins are placed, 2 cards are dealt face down to each player and then hidden from the other players. These two cards are called a player’s hole or pocket cards. After these cards are revealed a third card is dealt face up to the center of the table and then bet on, this is called the flop.

The highest hand is five of a kind, followed by four of a kind and then three of a kind. Ties are broken by the rank of the highest unmatched pair or, if no pairs exist, by high card.