Poker is a card game in which players place bets on a hand before it is shown. It is played by two or more people and the object is to win the pot, which consists of all bets made during one deal. Various forms of poker exist, with the most common involving five cards.

The game can be played with as few as two people, but it is most fun with at least four. It can also be very strategic, with players betting that they have the best possible hand and bluffing to try to make other players call their bets.

A full house is a poker hand consisting of three of a kind and a pair. A straight is five cards in a sequence, all of the same suit. Four of a kind is four cards of the same rank (Ace, King, Queen, Jack or Ten) and a flush is five of the same suit. A high card is any card not included in the three of a kind or the straight.

A player who folds a hand forfeits his or her rights to the current pot and must pass his or her turn to the next player. A player may also choose to “check” on a bet, which means that he or she will not contribute to the pot and does not have to raise the bet when it is his or her turn to act. This strategy can be risky if other players are bluffing and have superior hands.